Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Opera Software today launched a native version of Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5- and 6-based handsets. By integrating Opera Mini with the Windows Mobile platform, Opera is able to deliver an optimized version of the popular Opera Mini browser that dramatically improves performance and the overall user experience. While Opera Mini traditionally requires Java, the new Windows Mobile version does not, which means that Opera Mini will work on any Windows Mobile phone. The Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile includes the same rich feature set as the Java-based version. Renowned features, including tabbed browsing, the password manager, bookmarks and Speed Dial, are built-in to deliver convenience while on-the-go."

If you've found Opera Mobile to be too much for your needs and prefer something a little more lightweight such as Opera Mini, then you'll be happy to know that the latest beta is now native on Windows Mobile. That's right, there's no longer any need for a JVM. It's free, so head over to the Opera web site, download it, and give it a whirl.

"Today Opera Mobile 10 moves one step closer towards final with the release of Opera Mobile 10 Beta 3 for both Symbian/S60 and Windows Mobile. Beta 3 includes a few new features, and a lot of bug fixing and stabilization. Read more on www.opera.com/mobile. Or download it now at www.opera.com/mobile/download from a PC or "m.opera.com" from a mobile phone."

New features in Beta 3 includes keypad support for non-touch Windows Mobile devices and experimental Flash Lite 3.1 support, along with numerous bug fixes and improved speed and stability.

I've been using Beta 3 for a couple of days now on my Touch Pro 2, and while flash support is still a bit buggy (as anticipated but disabled by default), beta 3 has worked very well overall and is a noticeable improvement over previous versions.

Have you had chance to try Beta 3 yet? If so, what do you think?

"The Opera Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile looks and feels similar to the Opera 10 desktop browser and Opera Mini 5 beta. Opera is creating more cohesion between its products by introducing a unified look across many of its platforms. Opera maintains its powerful arsenal of features in this beta, including Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, a password manager and its super, server-side compressor, Opera Turbo."

Opera Mobile has for some time now been the best alternative (outside North America at least) to IE Mobile - now they've gone and upped the stakes with Mobile 10 beta. Just about any feature you're used to on Opera's desktop browser has been translated for the small screen, including tabbed browsing and Opera turbo (server side compression). Best of all is the price tag - free during the "beta" period. I can't find any info on feature or date limitations, or how long "beta" testing will last, but this one's getting loaded on my phone in a hurry. Click the link to check out the full press release.

"Opera Mobile 9.7 beta is now available to accelerate the mobile browsing experience for Windows Mobile-based phones. Speed is at the heart of this beta release due to the addition of Opera's recently launched technology for faster surfing, Opera Turbo. Opera has also included its newly upgraded browser engine, called Opera Presto 2.2, for faster page loads and better overall performance. With the added bonus of Opera Widgets, Opera Mobile 9.7 gets you the Web content you want in fewer clicks and less time."

The venerable Opera Mobile has just been updated to v9.7 and now promises a 25% faster mobile browsing experience. A beta version is up for grabs. It does have a few issues, though none too detrimental. And, unfortunately for Standard users, it's only compatible with Classic/Professional devices.

"Opera Mobile 9.5 now introduces Opera Widgets to the mobile Internet experience, enabling one-click Web content access. This release marks the second Opera Mobile 9.5 beta for Windows Mobile and the first-ever beta for UIQ-based phones. A developer version of S60 Widget manager is also available within the Opera Widgets SDK... Several Opera Widgets are now pre-installed in the Opera Mobile 9.5 beta builds. Additionally, Opera offers downloadable widgets at widgets.opera.com. Opera always encourages more user-generated widgets and therefore recently updated its Opera Widget Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK will enable developers to quickly and easily create widgets using standards-based Web technology. The Opera Widgets SDK now includes two new features: Opera Dragonfly debugging tool, Widget manager for on-device testing."

It's been three months since the first beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 surfaced. Now you get to play with a new one. Beta 2 adds widgets, along with the usual bug fixes and tweaks but, unfortunately, still no Smartphone (Standard) support.

If you're a developer, take a look at the updated Widget SDK and the "X Widget Challenge" for a chance to snag a portion of the $10,000 up for grabs.

"Opera brings you the best Internet experience on any device, from computers and cell phones to portable media players and game consoles. Opera Mobile, first launched in 2000, and with over 100 million installations since 2004, was the first to bring the full Web to the small mobile screen. Opera Mobile for feature phones and smartphones has pioneered and set the standard in mobile browsing, supporting the latest technologies and receiving industry acclaim. Today, Opera continues to provide the best mobile Web experience with the first beta of Opera Mobile 9.5. Opera Mobile is the answer to the demands of Web fans everywhere. The first beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 comes outfitted with added performance, faster speed, a new UI, and Oper Dragonfly, and is ready and waiting to bring users the Web everywhere."

It's finally here! The public beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 is now available for Windows Mobile Classic/Professional (Pocket PC) devices (sorry, Standard (Smartphone) users). There are plenty of new features such as pan and zoom, a new UI, improved performance, improved standards support, AJAX support, tabbed browsing, offline browsing, auto-complete, a password manager, and Opera Dragonfly. Of course, 9.5 is not without its issues - be sure to digest them before installing. Happy browsing!