Opera Mini 3: nearly impossible to install

(Credit: Opera Software)

Opera Software has released the next generation of its mini mobile browser, Opera Mini 3. I gamely attempted to review the free release, interested to see if the new and improved features boasting faster speeds, secure Web page support (for safely accessing eBay and e-mail), and RSS capabilities satisfied the hype. I was also keen to check out content folding, a unique feature that reformats Web pages by heading, using an expandable tree form (more in the full review). Sounds great, right?

I dove in, originally intending to compare Opera Mini 3's performance on a variety of devices. Yet after 11 hours of tweaking, troubleshooting, forum-reading, and rabbit-foot rubbing, I was only able to launch the program on one device: the Palm Treo 700 with a Sprint carrier. And oh, how I worked to arrive at this moment. Opera Mini 3 was locked, loaded, and ready to be taken for a nice, long spin.

Read the full review to see how it stacked up against Opera Mini 2 and Palm's native Web browser. You might be surprised.

[j.do]

smooth install on Nokia E61

OM3 installed without a hitch on the Nokia E61. Its best feature is the RSS reader, which is way superior to the reader included in the default Web browser on the E61 (or E62). Although the default Web browser is better overall than OM3, the default RSS reader is an unusable piece of software.

[S_A55]

Installed OK on the tiny Pantech C3 from Cingular

I haven't tried all the features yet.

[S_A55]

Installed OK on my tiny Pantech C3 from Cingular

I haven't tried all the features yet.

[BKMiller]

Opera Mini on Palm Tungsten T5

I thought I'd give Opera Mini a try to see if it handled browsing better than the Balzer app on my T5. Unfortunately, after installing the necessary supporter app, launching Opera only gave me a "Fatal Error" message, requiring a reboot of my T5. I'd love to try it again, but unless there's a fix for that - no go.