Opera in New Places

We've been seeing more and more folks getting into Opera lately, and not by wives dragging husbands to get some much needed culture. No, of course we're talking about the Opera web browser, which keeps showing up more often, particularly on mobile devices:



We had a good chat with the follks from Opera yesterday at CTIA. They're continuing to make some important headway in the mobile market, showing more than just competency, but a tangible prowess on portable platforms.

Opera has always played second fiddle to their major competitors in the desktop world (though to be sure, they've got a compelling browser). But on the mobile front, Opera continues to innovate, which is why several major carriers and gadget manufacturers are getting behind them.

You knew that Opera is on the Nintendo Wii, so it only made sense that it would be the featured browser on the new Nintendo DSi. Recent announcements verify that the Opera Browser will also be found in/on/around:

• Ford truck (and van) in-dash computer


• Samsung Instinct s30


• 8 Virgin Virgin Mobile handsets (including the Slash from Samsung, and the Arc, Shuttle and Super Slice)


• Sprint Instinct, Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Storm, and T-Mobile G1 (Opera Mini 4.2)

Other big news from Opera mobile includes the new version of their mobile browser, Opera Mobile 9.7 (yeah, they've been with mobile browsers for a while now). The new version has passed the Acid 3 test, and brings a true full web experience thanks to Opera Turbo (compression), the Presto 2.2 rendering engine, Ajax and Flash support, and server accelerated browsing.

Other noteworthy news from Opera that can't be avoided (because it's right in front of our face) on the desktop front is face gestures, developed for Opera 10 (in beta). Prepare to wink, flare nostrils, wiggle your ears, and maybe bare some teeth to navigate the web. Some may find their facial talents help with productivity, some may just tinker with the gimmick. Either way, we're ready to "Face the future" with new Opera on several fronts. After all, it's not over until the fat lady (finish sentence with your own witty remark).

Additional reading (and viewing) on our coverage of CTIA:

Hands on with New Samsung Phones: Impression, Instinct S30 & Propel Pro

Nokia E71 & N97: More CTIA 2009 Footage

Rocketvox "Everything" Service at CTIA, Great Branding, Few Details

Voice Texting Better Than Typing?