Opera Mobile's business build hints at Flash video

The CTIA Wireless mobile phone conference this April may be much lower key in 2009, but that doesn't mean there won't be news.

In advance of the show, Opera Software announced on Thursday an update to Opera Mobile, its full mobile browser for Windows Mobile and Symbian phones (download current version). While Opera Mobile 9.7 is intended for Opera's enterprise level B2B clients, like carriers and cell phone manufacturers, the news still offers a glimpse of what's in store for the consumer download version that Opera expects to release "in the near future."

The most consumer-friendly feature, and the one that Opera sorely needs to excel on, is Opera Mobile 9.7's support for Web technologies like Flash and Ajax. In layman's terms, that means the browser will be able to better handle sites like Facebook and stream YouTube videos using Flash Lite. Video is huge here--while Opera is a dominant mobile browser, it has been slower building muscle for video playback, while rivals like Skyfire have made longer strides.

In addition to bringing on wider support for Web standards, Opera Mobile 9.7 will feature Opera Turbo, the Norwegian company's new compression engine. Previewed in mid-March, Opera says Turbo can squeeze down data by 80 percent, clearing through slow and stubborn network connections quicker. Also found on the back end, says Opera, will be the Presto 2.2 rendering engine, the same tool that brings Opera 10 alpha for the desktop its higher speeds compared to Opera's current desktop browser.

Lastly, Opera Mobile 9.7 boasts that it passes the Acid 3 test of Web standards with 100 percent, and that it supports Google Gears and the Open GL ES standard for graphics acceleration. The upcoming consumer version will share these upgrades, and in addition, is expected to have a new widgets manager that run independently from the mobile browser.

[BogusBasin]

There are many things people THINK they want on their phone. Some of those things really don't work well on a mobile phone. Like flash. But times have not changed much. Device makers are still trying to peddle their wares based on cramming as many "features" into a device so as to attract the sheeple to buy it. So you end up with the crap everyone was selling before Apple came along and turned it all upside down. All these major players had their chance to innovate but there was no real incentive to do so because the sheeple were buying. Now they are all trying to copy the look and feel of the iPhone and failing miserably. Why? Because they are still trying to sell on features instead of the overall experience. That is why Apple does not include Flash on the iPhone yet. Because in a mobile phone, Flash really sucks. I do not believe Apple products cost more. Even if they do, they are worth every penny and more because of the total experience. Amen

[mdassad]

Yeah, I guess Apple didn't think such "features" as cut & paste were good enough. But the iPhone sure is shiny...too bad you can't even have two processes running at once. Talk about "sheeple".

[solu1978]

Why do you have to drag Apple here?.. its about a browser trying to provide what a lot of people want..

[plings]

PREACH IT brotha BogusBasi!

Features? PAH! Who needs em! Copy and paste? Pure nonsense. A waste of time.

Flash? Haha, ridiculous. No one cares about Flash. It's not like anyone uses YouTube and other online video sites.

In fact, online video SUCKS, period!

Unless it's QuickTime, in which case it's the Second Coming of Christ.

So the lack of Flash on the iPhone is actually a FEATURE. It makes the iPhone BETTER.

AY-MEN, BROTHA! PREACH IT!

[BogusBasin]

You can go on and on about what it does not have. Much of what you speak of is coming in the next release. But again, the overall experience is so much better. Windows Mobile? The worst piece of dung ever. Multiple processes kills the battery. Flash kills the battery. The browser trying to provide what a lot of people want? While I agree with you, my point is that others will give you what you want at the expense of the overall experience.

Anyway, it matters not if you prefer to use these other devices. I will sit back silently and laugh on the inside while I watch you squint over your tiny screen and stylus. Oh! You have a touchscreen device now? Wonder how many touchscreens would be out there if Apple hadn't been there for others to copy.

Am I smug? Yes. Because I have used several "smart" phones over the years and none of them are worth using. Why is it that Apple doesn't have the largest market share, but has the largest share of mobile online browsing by a wide margin? Because the experience is Sooooooo much better. Amen

[nihouma]

Because, you know, people want Flash on mobiles in 100% of what it can do. Lets be honest, people really want video on their phones. Even your Messiah, Apple, knows this. Most people want flash support on their phones, so that they can *gasp* watch video!!!! How dare them, the sheeple!

And I had an iPhone. I really tried. But it is so underwhelming. I gave the iPhone to my mom, who likes it, but doesn't love it as everybody says she should. I got myself the HTC Fuze, and while there are some problems, I haven't once thought of switching phones, like I did with the iPhone. So, you are right, Apple turned it all upside down so much that companies like HTC have come screeching to a halt, and completely changed the way they make phones...not. Seriously, the iPhone is good yes, but it too has flaws, just like any other phone. Stop praising it as if it is perfect, and stop posting comments on it about unrelated things! This article was about an extremely popular mobile browser that won't be on the iPhone anytime soon. It wasn't about a phone, or a phone OS. So please, just save your fanboyism for iPhone related things

[plings]

PREACH IT!

It's coming in the next release!

GREAT!

That means that it's TOTALLY UNNEEDED now. But it will be in the NEXT RELEASE, and then it will suddenly f'in ROCK; dude!

"has the largest share of mobile online browsing by a wide margin"

Yeah, because EVERYONE knows that Opera Mini doesn't completely DEVASTATE Apple in number of users. It's not like Opera Mini several times more users than the total number of sold iPhones! No siree!

[hibby11]

Oh I do apologize that it took 3 releases for copy an paste... AND it still has no video camera. I hope you enjoy waiting another 2 years for a jailbreak.

[tylers95]

CTIA is going to still be big this year. I think that mabye the voyeger 2 will come out, and mabye a samusng anadroid phone. And what about the romored motorola phone that many tec sights have comfermed. CTIA IS GOING TO BE GREAT

[BogusBasin]

plings -

All the sarcasm in the world won't save you when you are dead wrong. Online browsing by users of iPhone and iPod touch using Safari and iPhone OS completely dominates Opera mini useage on all other devices combined. Sorry. Thanks for playing.

Oh yeah, Amen

[plings]

Yes, the iPhone, which doesn't even have half the amount of users that Opera Mini does, has more users than Opera Mini!

It is Apple, so it must be so!

And it's not like iPhones have extremely expensive unlimited data plans, compelling people to actually use data services, nor does Opera Mini cache and compress data so that less data is transferred (== less traffic). No siree! Lies, I tell you! Lies!

APPLE IS THE BEST, SCREW THE REST!

AMEN!

And those sucky features on other phones? Screw them. They all suck! Until the iPhone gets the exact same features, in which case it's the best thing since sliced bread and of course invented by Apple.

Like online videos. They suck. They would really screw with the fragile iPhone battery. But when it's QuickTime, online video rocks, and I don't care if it flattens my battery!

AMEN BROTHA!

[nihouma]

From the Opera Website "More than 13 million people used Opera Mini in the month of April, and more than 14.7 million people used Opera Mini in the month of May, which represents a 24.6% increase since March 2008." Keep in mind this is a year ago.

According to wikipedia "On October 21, 2008, Apple announced sales of 6.89 million iPhone 3Gs in the fourth quarter of 2008, totaling 13 million iPhones to date." keep in mind, this was in October 2008, and does not keep in mind how many of the 3gs sold were actually people upgrading from the first iPhone to the 3g, which, from what I've read, seems to be a lot of people.


Also, Apple was by no means the first touch phone. The LG Prada was came out before the iPhone, and the idea of touch phones was nothing new.

As for multiple processes and flash killing battery...nice try, but the HTC Fuze, which I use, is rated as a higher battery than the iPhone, as is the LG Incite, both phones which support multiple processes.

[Austin_Mike]

Holy crap dude -- take Steve Jobs's **** out of your mouth so you can breathe. Your brain is suffering from serious oxygen deprivation.

[Zinkoping]

Yeah , the idea of touch phones is more that two decades old . I used to have a touch phone from Ericsson back in the 1990s when i was still working there , so Apple did invent .....nothing new .

And for the actual news , I hope they make a version of this Opera for the Nokia 5800 as soon as possible so i can start using it :)

-Cheers

[tinler]

Yes! Can't wait to try out 9.7. Faster rendering engine plus faster page downloads, woohoo. Recently tethered laptop to HTC Diamond over 3G and felt noticeable speed gains on the OperaTurbo preview with turbo on vs off. So even with 3G there's some improvement.

[lennie22]

I was searching to find out if opera mobile 9.7 was released yet and met upon this article and when I read through the comments I can't help but: BWAAHAHAHAHAHAH @bogusbasin BWAHAHAHAHA.

I am sorry man, but I couldn't help myself. your iphone is a nice phone man, everyone knows that, but for people who're looking more out of their devices an iphone just doesn't cut it. I can write a 3 page article showing how the iphone doesn't stack up to windows mobile but whats the point in trying to convince someone like who's so hell bent on the iphone. because it would be like trying to convince a 5 year old child that candy isn't food and that too much of it isn't good for them.

but what I will say here is that my girlfriend has an iphone and I put it up against my HTC Advantage x7501 and I actually laughed out loud at her when I started to show her phone's short comings, granted she was upset but nothing a good hot sex couldn't fix later that night.
this article is talking about a web browser so let me point out some of the things that the opera web browser can do that your beloved safari mobile can't at this point and they're things i use a lot:
I"m not gonna talk about videos because I don't watch them in the browser, I either download them through the browser or stream them through coreplayer/tcpmp.

1) send picture/links/selection in the browser via mms/email/sms
2) I don't know of safari mobile being able to copy a link on the webpage or even make a selection on the page to paste in a document or in an email or sms to send it someone else to take a look at it or even in another tab.
3) I don't know of safari mobile being able to download things from the internet like a song or a zip file
I mean if your friend posted a song on his/her myspace/facebook page for you to download and listen to right away can you do it on your iphone? don't you have to wait until you get to a computer? not so on a windows mobile phone or with opera mobile
opera mobile offers an extensive array of settings unparalleled by any other mobile web browser..
there is no benefit that safari mobile brings to the table over opera, if there is, please state so and don't bable on about this and that, state the facts because the facts is what makes the truth be the truth. and until then opera mobile 9>safari mobile.

Experience? I hope you know that is subjective...... not everyone has the same experience, its all different for different people. so you might love your iphone but I love my windows mobile phone too.
there are benefits to both mobile platforms....one looks good and the other gets the job done right.
there are people who buy cars because of how it looks, but there are others who buys the car based on how it drives. and that myfriend sums up the difference between you and I.