back to article Opera Mobile for Android: Nearly there!

The Opera Mobile browser will be available in Google's Android Marketplace within the next month and the upcoming Opera 11 desktop browser will offer Firefox-like extensions. Opera chief development officer Christen Krogh showed the new Opera Mobile Android browser this morning at a company press event in Oslo. The Norwegian …

COMMENTS

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  1. Greg J Preece

    Well isn't that strange...

    "Opera Mobile browser will be available in Google's Android Marketplace within the next month and the upcoming Opera 11 desktop browser will include Firefox-like extensions."

    After listening to the Opera crown harp on about how extensions only slow down a browser, bloat it up, etc, and how they're totally unnecessary in a piece of software as perfect as Opera, the company go and add extensions.

    Huh. I wonder if some opinions will now radically and rapidly shift to "extensions r teh awesome."

    Written, oddly enough, in Opera.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      re: Well isn't that strange...

      The problem here is not the product, but public perception.

      Opera is a fine product that doesn't really need extensions (most of the good ones are already built in to Opera anyway), and extensions DO add bloat, incompatibilities, security issues.

      HOWEVER, a lot of people don't look at Opera because it does not support them. When education fails, you have to follow the crowd it seems.

      That said, from the sounds of it, the Opera extensions will be standards compliant too, using open web standards and languages. So it could be a nice half-way house.

    2. RePreGister
      Thumb Up

      Not strange at all

      "After listening to the Opera crown harp on about how extensions only slow down a browser, bloat it up, etc, and how they're totally unnecessary in a piece of software as perfect as Opera, the company go and add extensions."

      Extensions DO slow down Firefox. This is a fact. But if Opera has figured out a way to AVOID that, then that allows them to support extensions AND be fast.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Patents

    Wow, that's TWO patents combined into one browser! Amazing progress indeed. That said, I do wish Opera well, you have to admire a small company like that competing with the big boys and generally offering a better browser. I used to use Opera when every nerd was advocating Firefox, but now I just use Chrome (despite my fear and loathing of the Chocolate Factory).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Patents?

      What patents?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      You use Chrome

      after using Opera? I have to ask, WHY??

      Anyone smart enough to have used Opera will know it's 10x the browser Chrome is.

      Perhaps if you had tried Opera 8 or something. But today Opera 10.6x trumps Chrome in every possible way.

      1. Geoff Campbell Silver badge
        Stop

        Chrome

        Are you familiar with the concept of "Good enough"? Most of us just want to browse the web, and so we try different browsers until we find one that renders all the sites we visit in a reasonable fast time - i.e. (ho ho, do you see what I did there?) one that is good enough for our needs.

        For most, that's IE, not least because it's already on their PC. I personally use Chrome, because it is faster than IE. If I ever find a site that Chrome fails to render properly, I'll look around for a replacement, but until then, it's good enough for my needs, even if Opera is somehow "better" in an objective sense.

        GJC

      2. John 62
        Unhappy

        I am an Opera Fanboi, but

        On the mac, since about version 10, even the released (post-beta) versions were so unstable it was unbelievable. Plus it would slow down after a while and use more processor for the same number of tabs keeping the fans on that bit more. There are many things I miss from Opera, but Chrome is sadly the best of the rest.

  3. NX1977

    About time

    Opera mobile (full favoured) is the only thing I've missed moving from symbian to android.

    1. Greg J Preece

      Beta's been out for a while

      And it's not bad, either. Always loved Opera Mobile, though the Mozilla/Firefox implementations on Maemo are superb.

      1. PaulR79

        First time I've wanted Opera

        With you saying it's been out in beta form for a while I'm going to go and look for it. On the desktop I much prefer Firefox for a lot of reasons but I have a handful of browsers installed so I can test them all. Unfortunately Opera has always put me off because no matter how good it might be the people behind it always come across as a whiny bunch of idiots that just don't get why they have such a small share of the market. The biggest thing has always been the constant "we did that first, we're great, try us!!!!" whenever another browser added a feature Opera has or had first.

        *ahem* Got a little off-topic there..... Opera on Android I will try because although the default browser is good I like competition and I'm curious to see what it will bring. Firefox 4 beta on Android is horrid in my experience and seems massively bloated so Opera already has a headstart!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          WTF?

          @PaulR79

          "Unfortunately Opera has always put me off because no matter how good it might be the people behind it always come across as a whiny bunch of idiots that just don't get why they have such a small share of the market."

          Why do you care about other users? It's like you think you'll automatically turn into one of them by using Opera. Choose your browser based on the app, not its users. It's not like someone will see you using Opera and think "what a whiny cock" - and even if they do, who cares?

          AC because I don't want you to think I'm a whiny cock.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          WTF?

          Small share of the market?

          @PaulR79: "Opera has always put me off because no matter how good it might be the people behind it always come across as a whiny bunch of idiots that just don't get why they have such a small share of the market."

          Are you a bit thick?

          Opera's desktop market share is about 10% in Europe, and in some countries up to 40%.

          On mobile, on the other hand, Opera is the dominant browser, with a market share of 25+%.

          But unlike Firefox, Chrome, etc., Opera doesn't have a monopoly to promote them. So they have to work harder to get users.

          1. Martin
            WTF?

            Why, oh why...

            ...do you find it necessary to use statements like "Are you a bit thick?" simply because you disagree with the previous poster?

            Do you use phrases like this when you are chatting to people down the pub? If so, how often have you been punched in the nose for it?

            Why do people have to be so bloody rude on the Internet?

            I know - it's off topic, and it won't change a thing. It's just that every so often, this sort of thing gets my goat.

      2. PaulR79

        Available where?

        Care to provide a link to the Opera Mobile beta for Android? I'm searching but so far I'm failing at the searching :(

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Stop

          It's not out yet.

          He is getting confused with Opera MINI, which Is out for Android, and a different product.

          Opera Mobile is a full blown browser.

          1. Greg J Preece

            My Bad

            "He is getting confused with Opera MINI, which Is out for Android, and a different product."

            This man is correct, I was not.

  4. Tigra 07
    FAIL

    no title required

    "According to Krogh, Opera Mobile for Android is one of the most common requests among Opera users."

    In the same way Firefox/IE/Chrome and Safari mobile requests are the most common among Firefox/IE/Chrome and Safari users?

    What a very stupid thing to point out

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      No

      You fail miserably.

      Opera has several different browsers.

      People who use Opera Mini on Android wanted Opera Mobile because the latter is more capable.

      Simple.

  5. Ian Yates

    11

    Can you change the keyboard shortcuts for 11? I tried to switch to 10.x a long time ago, but I didn't like the default keyboard shortcuts, and the hacks presented on the forums only allowed you to change some of them...

    Regardless, I'll give it a try when it comes out and see if it can pull me away from Fx 4b or Iron.

    I've been waiting for Android Opera (not the Mini rubbish) for ages.

  6. Mark Fenton
    Go

    Will it support NTLM?

    If it supports NTLM authentication, which the current Android browser doesn't, then I for one, will welcome our new operatic overlord.

    At the moment I can't access my intranet due to the lack of NTLM on Android...

  7. Watashi

    Skyfire

    Never been impressed with Opera Mobile on Symbian. Skyfire is better for wi-fi browsing as it supports more plug-ins (good for media content) and the native browser on my mobile is actually faster and easier to use than Opera Mobile. Oh, and Opera Mobile's own built-in keyboard sucks.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      Skyfire, Spyfire...

      @Watashi

      Skyfire is not even a browser. It's a video transcoder on top of the default browser.

      Also, it tracks your surfing habits.

      And finally, Opera Mobile utterly destroys the default Symbian browser. Sorry, gov.

  8. Ron1
    FAIL

    iFrame scrolling? Not!

    Yes, a shiny "new" Android browser (Beta versions have been out long ago), but still can't scroll frames within the main browser frame (iframe).

    WebKit (default browser), Firefox (Fennec), Opera, Dolphin, Skyfire,... none of those browsers can scroll frames within main frame.

    Lots of pages can not be used due to this issue - even Google's own: for instance, in AdSense reports, you can not scroll through channels list.

    iPhone scrolls frames using two fingers - why the multitouch Android phones can not do the same is beyond me.

    Even more so for Opera Mini - since it works through page-recoding proxy, this could be dealt with...

    And this is a well known defect (yes, defect, not bug) but still has not been dealt with.

    Please give us a browser that scrolls frames!

  9. M man

    just need syncing

    Opera mini 5 rocks...most of the time.

    it says it supports syncing but does not sync bookmars or notes....fail

    it wont load this page....fail

    ...

    thats about it really.

  10. papablah
    FAIL

    What a load of rhubarb

    Well, unlike the authors, I have been using Opera 10 on Android for over a month now. So , what is with the strapline "Opera Mobile for Android: Nearly there!", or is there some airbrushing of history going on that I was not informed about and we have jumped straight from Opera nothing to version 11.

    SkyFire: breaks end to end SSL encryption. Not that you can reasily find it in the T&C on their site without looking a little.

    Opera: again, breaks end to end SSL. Easiest to use (expect Firefox), fast and stable.

    Chrome: I have no idea what it does with SSL.

    Dolphin HD: Fien to use, but rather clunky.

    The problem I have with the majority of these browsers is that they often proxy the connection to their site, apply some formatting, and then spit it back, decoding the SSL connection en route. I won't use these for PayPal, Ebay, Amazon or my bank! Maybe I am asking for trouble?

    I use Firefox on Android. Yes, its there. It works pretty well, and I prefer it to the above. I don't know if the content is proxied via another server, but all the sites I visit send unadulterated pages back. The UI is far better than the afore mentioned ones.

    My 'droid has a 4" screen and a res of about 800x480. Its an Samsung Galaxy i9000 and can handle full web pages as well as a footballer's wife can play with his balls. It does need the pages reformatted.

    1. spencer

      link?

      Can we have a link to the android mobile 10 apk please?

      did a quick google and nothing comes up at all

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      papablah is confused

      papablah has probably been using Opera Mini 5.

      Opera Mini uses proxies, but Opera Mobile does NOT break end to end encryption.

      Again, Opera Mobile does NOT use a proxy.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    It had better support more than two tabs

    A message 'you have reached the maximum number of tabs' kind of defeats the entire purpose of tabbed browsing, don't you think?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      Huh?

      Where are you seeing that message?

  12. Patrick O'Reilly

    NOT Opera Mini

    I think some people are getting confused here.

    This announcment is about the forthcoming beta, Opera Mobile for Android

    Some people seem to be talking about an existing Opera for Android, this is Opera Mini which is a stable final release version.

    (The difference between Mini and Mobile can be found elsewhere)

  13. captain veg Silver badge

    extension != plugin

    As far as I'm aware, Opera has always supported Netscape plug-ins. Can someone enlighten me as to how an extension is different from a plug-in?

    -A.

  14. Patrick O'Reilly

    @ extension != plugin

    Plug-in = Native code running output from another program (separate process tree) e.g. Quicktime plug-in playing a video embedded in a page.

    Extension = Additional functionality added to browser program, generally using functions already available to the browser (same process tree) e.g. a button that opens twatter in a new tab with the previous tab's URL shortened and populated in the status field.

  15. illiad

    Is opera 'smart address bar' still crap??

    Last time I tried (10.6) it sent you to google if it could not find a url... and many forum members were BANNED for complaining about this, when the previous version 10.10 worked very well... I am still using it, no problems with any security, plugin updates, etc - still works great in win7..:)

    go ahead, try it in FF smart bar..

    (extra - = are added for formatting purpose)

    typed text == result in FF ------ result in 1010 ------- result in 10.5

    bbc === www.bbc.co.uk ---- www.bbc.co.uk ------- search google for 'bbc'

    google = www.google.com - www.google.co.uk - search google for 'google'!!

    opera === www.opera.com --- www.opera.co.uk - search google for 'opera'

    history = www.history.com --- www.bbc.co.uk ------ search google for 'history'

    about:config = prefs ------ prefs ------ prefs

    gmail === gmail front page --- gmail front page --- search google for 'gmail' !!!

    g ====== gmail front page --- www.g.com ------ search google for 'g'

    mail ====== gmail front page ---- www.mail.com ----- search google for 'mail'

  16. illiad

    But back to the MOBILE version...

    even the latest one for symbian has problems with crashes and lost data, opera:config settings that are just ignored... but the bowser works much faster and easier that the existing one!!

    the good news is that the 'adblock' urlfilter.ini file can be copied straight from my win PC, and works properly on symbian.

    The next problem for android of course is will it do flash like froyo does???

    1. RePreGister
      WTF?

      Huh?

      I have no such problems with the mobile version.

  17. illiad

    RePreGister:

    what mobile are you using??? I am using the 5800, and while it is not ALWAYS crashing, sometimes I get the 'welcome to opera mobile' screen(I was sure I exited it properly before), even though it has been installed for months!!

    Next I find all my speeddials have gone, and sometimes all my bookmarks too...

    At other times it just dumps me back to the nokia mainscreen, but at least my settings are usually intact...

    just like PC virus attacks, you can think nothing is wrong, for **months** until it happens at the worst moment....

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