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Opera Mini Browser for iPhone Being Demoed at Mobile World Congress

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Apr 12, 2001
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As previously reported, Opera Software has been showing off the iPhone version of Opera Mini browser at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. Opera Mini is a mobile browser that uses Opera's compression and server-side technology to quickly deliver web pages to your phone. Macworld explains how the browser works:
How this client-server system works is that when you request a Web page in Opera Mini, the app sends the URL to an Opera server, rather than to the destination Web server. The Opera server actually sends the request to the Web server, and then downloads the page's content, processes any scripts or other dynamic content, and compresses the resulting page into Opera Binary Markup Language (OBML). The Opera server then sends the resulting "page"—which is up to 90 percent smaller than the original Web page—to the client on your phone.
Click to expand...
The result of this server-assisted connection is faster load times than Apple's own Safari with claims up to 6 times faster.

Opera has yet to submit the application to Apple for approval, but seems to believe that Apple will approve it. The use of this server-sided processing gets around Apple's restriction of executing 3rd party code (such as Javascript) within an iPhone app. In Opera Mini's case, all of this processing happens on Opera's servers and a static page is then passed to your iPhone. No submission date has been announced.

Article Link: Opera Mini Browser for iPhone Being Demoed at Mobile World Congress
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/17/opera-mini-browser-for-iphone-being-demoed-at-mobile-world-congress/
Wont be approve anyway.... at the very most it will be on Cydia... Hopefully droid gets it!
 
I hope this does get approved, but I'm quite sceptical. Opera Mini has always been great on feature phones I've used in the past, so I would expect it'll be the same on an iPhone. Though I do think it's unlikely Apple would be willing to set a precedent by allowing this on the App Store.
 
Great!

This would be fantastic. About time we had some real safari competition for the ipod and iphone. Woo Hoo!
 
I got a newsfeed from the future....

A news story somehow managed to travel back in time from the not-to-distant future via a sub-light wormhole, and landed in my inbox....Apple today announced the acquisition of Norwegian based Opera Software ASA

Stranger things could happen...
And another use for the hugemungas (sp?) server farm Apple is building
 
Opera foundation are the kings of bitching. Just look at the EU Internet Explorer case they started.

If Apple don't approve they will start some legal crap.
 
As long as Opera Mini continues to do all its renderaing and JavaScript event processing on a server external to the user agent, it will be a crippled web experience for an Internet that is increasingly moving towards heavy AJAX based development.
 
ScottishDuck said:
Opera foundation are the kings of bitching. Just look at the EU Internet Explorer case they started.

If Apple don't approve they will start some legal crap.
Click to expand...

What else can they do. In todays monopoly culture of I built it so I rule (circa 1970 IBM mentality) it make sense for them to bitch.

I for one don't see this coming to iphone or ipad. The idea is sweet, and i don't really care if they are watching since if your going to do porn just go back to safari. ;) I love this technology because it stops the biggest problem with Flash as well; adds can cripple my iphone and slow the users experience. :(
 
MacRumors said:
In Opera Mini's case, all of this processing happens on Opera's servers and a static page is then passed to your iPhone.
Click to expand...

Lack of Flash is one thing, but no dynamic functionality at all?

Not worth a 6x speed-up.
 
Flash video support on "static page"

"The use of this server-sided processing gets around Apple's restriction of executing 3rd party code (such as Javascript) within an iPhone app. In Opera Mini's case, all of this processing happens on Opera's servers and a static page is then passed to your iPhone."

Since a "static page" is passed to the iPhone, would flash content work? I don't really have any knowledge of the matter, but I would assume that flash video (which let's face it, is probably the main reason people want it) would not work. Any thoughts? Of course, this would be assuming that Apple approves the app.
 
ScottishDuck said:
Opera foundation are the kings of bitching. Just look at the EU Internet Explorer case they started.

If Apple don't approve they will start some legal crap.
Click to expand...

The only bitching is from you.

Opera complained to the EU about microsoft IE just ONCE!

King of bitching - yea right, get real, fan boy.
 
bbplayer5 said:
Wont be approve anyway.... at the very most it will be on Cydia... Hopefully droid gets it!
Click to expand...

(An)droid has it already.
DSC00061.JPG

Open platform FTW!
 
schmidm77 said:
As long as Opera Mini continues to do all its renderaing and JavaScript event processing on a server external to the user agent, it will be a crippled web experience for an Internet that is increasingly moving towards heavy AJAX based development.
Click to expand...

Exactly. If there is any dynamic content such as Javascript then it will still be executed on the phone and will break the submission rules, whether it's still Javascript or translated to this OBML thingie.

Opera Desktop still can't log into Google Mail last time I tried it, I hope this version has a little more compatibility.


Stella said:
The only bitching is from you.

Opera complained to the EU about microsoft IE just ONCE!

King of bitching - yea right, get real, fan boy.
Click to expand...

They complained more than once, actually, about increasingly petty things. It culminating in the complaint that the Windows browser selection screen had Opera right at the end, kind of like it's market share and web standards compatibility.
 
Okay so I might live in Oslo, but I have always liked Norwegian Opera as a company and the browsers they create. I am just amazed that such a small company still manages to compete with the big monopolies and produce the quality products that they do.
I use the Opera browser for most of my surfing, but it is sometimes limited. The fact that Håkon Wium Lie, one of the people who created CSS is the chief technical officer means that their browsers are always going to be html and javascript friendly. Opera mini on the normal mobile phone knocks spots off most other mobile browsers, so it will be interesting to see if Apple will allow it.

Even though I am a big Apple fan, I am starting to get a little worried about the control and power Apple are now starting to wield. Competition is always good.
 
Good for Opera. I think they've worked out the legal ramifications, so Apple really can't refuse them, and in the end it will only spur competition and innovation (i.e. Safari will become better, Adobe and Apple will have to sort out their differences, if it's possible to support Flash through another browser, etc.) Just make it free and I'm all for it.
 
So how does this work then--does it render every frame on the server and update the iPhone screen when it comes to dynamic content? I'd rather stick with HTML 5's css transforms and canvas. Plus AT&T gets 5mbps where I live. Though I could see using this while traveling if it does speed up the connection. AT&T sucks out in the sticks. Apple should at least let us have the option, even if it has limited use.
 
relying on opera's servers seems like a recipe for disaster. i suspect some of opera's current speed is directly related to its smaller installed user base. if they were to suddenly double or triple their usage, how would their servers handle the increased requests?
 
ChazUK said:
Open platform FTW!
Click to expand...

Open platforms are wonderful and some great software comes out of them, but so does a lot of crap. There's no quality control and you potentially leave your system open to attack by malicious software.:(

I am NOT defending Apple's supposed quality control, nor am I saying that Opera Mini is malicious software, BUT open platforms lead to vulnerabilities.

This is one reason (I'm sure there are others.) why Apple is being so strict, and why open platform phones will soon have to require anti-spyware and anti-virus software.

Apple wants to keep things simple and secure for the average user. Get used to it.:apple:
 
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