For those who think the Internet started and ended with Internet Explorer, the Opera Mini will be a revelation. This mobile browser could be the next killer application that let us see and touch the world from an appliance that has become our alter ego. Why would one carry a laptop when you can browse and email in sheersana from a mobile phone.
Skeptics might ask why reduce the form factor and strain the eyes. Opera Mini doesn't take much to get used to . Most of the browser functionalities like history, bookmarks etc remain the same. And when your mobile device is becoming the camera, radio, media player and anything that you could imagine why use a bulky device to check and reply to that important business email. This is miniaturization at its best.
Opera's Small-Screen Rendering™ technology uses a 'proxy' web server that takes requests and optimizes the results for a specific mobile device. Most of the processing is done by these proxy servers who get the web page that is requested and pygmies it into size that renders on your device quickly. Connection can be through a WAP access point or GPRS depending on your service provider.
To install Mini go to mini.opera.com The server detects the make of the device and downloads the appropriate version. At 110 KB it makes only a small footprint on the memory and installs quickly. Opera Mini is written in Java and works in most mobile phones. So you really don't need a smart phone to access the world wide web.
The user interface is pretty intuitive and simple. The menu button on the left opens common functions like address, bookmarks and tools. Bookmarks itself can be accessed by shortcut keys that can be set by the user. That makes checking your email just 2 clicks away. The font size can be adjusted based on your eye sight. Home page can be customized to get quickly into the most visited sites. One could google in from the home page or know everything about anything on that monster of a Wikipedia. The Opera servers pre-process the content into single column, eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling. Not every web page looks perfect with this verticalisation, but that is a small price to pay. The Opera Mini 3.0 which is in beta now lets photo upload and compatibility with your favorite RSS feeds.
What is in it for you and me other than checking emails and messaging. Every killer software is worth only its applications. In 2 days I found 2 applications for it. One to get a read reviews of the movie that plays at night on the cable. Now I don't sit watching some crapy Ninja Turtles on HBO, hoping that the next scene would turn it around. Another to look at the meanings of bombastic words that a friend uses without context. I have listed dictionary on my home page and I know the meaning before he finishes the next sentence. I have not told him yet about Opera Mini. But then that is another day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hmmm...must get this on my mobile...and would love to read the post when you interrupt your colleague " Excuse me , Mr So-and-so , I think you meant {bombastic word 2} when you said {bombastic word 1} " ;)
Post a Comment