Opera Mini 4 Beta

Opera Mini is a portable version of the Opera browser which has been optimized for mobile phones. Considerably better than the majority of mobile handset’s built-in browsers, the Opera Mini browser has long been a popular download for mobile users. Now, Opera has just released the Opera Mini 4 beta, which brings Mini fans a feature-rich new version. The beta version offers fast surfing of the "full internet," which I assume is something like Apple’s "real internet." With Opera Mini 4 beta, when you go to a web page, Opera Mini will show you the overview of the page, then suggest where to begin reading. Then, Opera Mini zooms quickly in on the web page and focuses on the content you want to read. (Sounds a lot like the iPhone…nice! ) The text and images fit properly on the pages, so there’s less scrolling. And Opera Mini will dynamically change the size of text and images, making it more convenient to read webpages. Another iPhone-like feature is "Landscape" mode. Although the phone won’t automatically switch over to Landscape mode when the phone is tilted like the iPhone does, all you have to do is hit * # switch to Landscape mode. Other great features include a start page with several search engines to choose from, the ability to add your own search engines (Note: you will have to add Google!), a virtual mouse, so you can easily scroll in any direction, keypad scrolling, a "fit to width" feature, and tools and support for web designers.

I loaded Opera Mini 4 beta on my T-Mobile Blackberry Pearl to test it out. Initially I had trouble because after installation, it would not open. However, after a little research, I found this link that explains how Blackberrys have to be configured:

A specific setting is required to enable Opera Mini to access the Internet on a T-Mobile Blackberry:

From your Blackberry homescreen, go to Options, then Advanced Options, then TCP. Under APN, enter "wap.voicestream.com". Leave Username and Password blank.

A specific setting is required to enable Opera Mini to access the Internet on a Cingular Blackberry:

From your Blackberry homescreen, go to Options, then Advanced Options, then TCP. Under APN, enter "wap.cingular". Also enter Username for APN: "WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM" (all uppercase) and Password for APN: "CINGULAR1" (all uppercase).

The next problem I ran into was using Landscape mode. According to some comments on the Opera Mini blog, Landscape mode is not supported on Blackberry devices. Bummer.

Still, the Opera Mini browser makes for a nice alternative to the Blackberry’s built-in browser and is definitely worth the download.

Tags: Blackberry, Mobile, Software, Web/Tech