Opera Mini 5 for Android is Full of Surprises
By: Hillel Fuld
I have to admit, even though I try out many mobile apps, I am not very particular about my mobile Web browser. On the iPhone platform, I am very satisfied with the Safari browser (although Flash would have made me happier), on Android, I have been using the default browser, on my N900, which supports Firefox Mobile, I still barely open it, and even on my BlackBerry, I prefer to have extra application space, then to use Opera or Bolt.
I am a default browser kinda guy. However, the new Opera Mini 5 Beta for Android might just change that, since it is so much better than the Android default browser, at least in Android 1.6, which is what I am using (were there improvements in 2.0 and 2.1?) When first launching the Opera browser on my phone, I did not have high expectations, I expected it to be just another old browser for which I have no need. I was very wrong, and the experience it provides enhances your Android Web browsing significantly.
So the first thing you will see when opening Opera is the very nicely designed home page with empty slots for your favorites. Removing what was occupying those spots and adding new URLs took me maybe 20 seconds. The icons are nice and big, making a very positive first impression. Along the bottom of the browser, you have five large icons for back and forward, refresh, tabs, and tools. Let’s begin with the tools icon. Pressing the wrench will bring up yet another visually appealing screen with very large icons. You have Bookmarks, History, Start Page, Saved Pages, Downloads, Settings, Find in Page, and Help. I know I keep saying this, but those large icons are such a huge improvement over the default browser.
So the Settings of the Opera Mini 5 include a nice long list of customization features. The list includes Load Images (yes or no), Image Quality, Font Size, Mobile or Standard View, Fullscreen view, Privacy options, and Advanced. The Privacy features are very desktop-like including the very much needed ability to have the browser remember your passwords (I hate typing in my Facebook password every time), accept cookies, clear history, clear saved passwords, and clear cookies.
Moving back to the main screen, as mentioned, right next to the settings icon is the tabs icon, and let me tell you, this feature is implemented to perfection. Tabbed browsing has become completely standard on desktop browsers, and has been available on the iPhone, Palm Pre, and the N900 for some time. However, I have to say, the tabbed browsing in Opera 5 is unprecedented in its ease and speed. When you press on the tab icon, a nice little toolbar opens up along the bottom of the screen. You can easily see all the tabs you have open (I don’t even think I can do that on my desktop), press a nice size X to close one of them, or a + to open a new one. When you open a new one, the browser defaults to the home page with all your favorites. You can easily enter a URL or select one of your favorites.
The tabs appear similar to a deck of cards layed out one on top of the other. You can easily swipe one tab to bring it to the front or just rearrange the order of the tabs. I am testing this out on an old Android phone with a weak processor, yet unlike many other Android apps, Opera responds beautifully and instantly to my finger’s gestures.
In addition to the amazing tabbed browsing capabilities of Opera, the overall surfing experience is superior to the default browser by leaps and bounds. The Google search box always appears in the top right corner of the screen, similar to the look of the Google Toolbar in Firefox.
Opera 5 Mini Beta for Android is packed with features, but to be honest, they are almost irrelevant when it comes to my overall decision of what browser to use. The reason I am going to be using Opera from now on is not its perfect tabbed browsing experience, it is not its clean look and feel, and it is not its nicely engineered compression when surfing the Web. The reason the new Opera for Android is a keeper is for one main reason, speed. It is blazing fast, and I am convinced I save close to 5 seconds per Web page I visit, over the default Android browser. Websites load and render flawlessly and almost without delay on Opera, something that makes this app a must have, for anyone using the Android platform.
Our Rating: 5/5
Developer: Opera
