Opera Mini has finally launched the beta version of its smartphone browser for Android gadgets, based on the WebKit browser engine, in a bid to carve its own niche in a market currently dominated by Google and Apple.
Dubbed Opera ‘Ice’, the browser is a switch from the previous Presto browser platform that current Opera Android Apps use to render pages.
Opera says Ice it brings with it the best conversion and compression technology that will enable smartphone users faster browsing with a lower bandwidth requirement, even in places where mobile broadband signal is not strong.
“There are countless hours that have gone into making this completely new, completely re-thought Opera for Android,” said Opera Software EVP of product development Rikard Gillemyr during the launch.
“I dare say that many smartphone users spend much more time using their web browser than any other app on their phones. That’s why we have made our newest mobile phone browser more elegant and more beautiful than ever, while still packing so much functionality into it.”
Some of the features that are come with the Opera for Android include the new, revamped speed dial that allows users to have a customised homepage with their most accessed websites, and also a bookmark folder.
The Opera browser will also have a new discover feature on the startup screen, where popular articles on the web and other areas of interest customised for each region can be accessed. Users will also be able to download complete web pages to read offline, helping them save on connection charges while reading long articles.
The new Opera browser is available for download from Google Play or on Opera.com, and supports Android version 2.3 upwards.
With the launch this new browser, Opera hopes to increase its market share from the current 300 million users worldwide.
