At the Up North Web event, in Oslo, today, Opera Software showcased its new mobile, mini and soon to be released desktop browser updates.
Opera Mini 6.5 and Opera Mobile 11.5 have both become available for download on Android devices as of today, while the Alpha build of Opera 12 will go live on Thursday this week.
The updated desktop browser promises hardware accelerated graphics, and Opera's chief development officer, Christen Krogh, said: “We have been experimenting with how to connect the browser to the underlying device capabilities, such as connecting to a computer's camera.”
Krogh demonstrated the new feature by showing the integration of a Web cam image on a page in the browser. Opera 12 will also have support for the WebGL 3D graphics technology.
“We've revamped almost everything under the hood,” said Krogh, explaining that the major changes to the browser are the internals.
“The JavaScript module has been revamped and reduced in code size. We re-implemented completely our HTML parser.”
Data monitoring
The main feature showcased by Opera, for Opera Mini 6.5 and Opera Mobile 11.5, was the addition of a data-monitoring feature to Opera Turbo.
The Turbo option allows users to have data compressed before it is sent to the device. While data compression has always been available through Opera Mini, the Mobile version now allows users to choose when to switch it on and save on data charges - especially when travelling.
According to Opera, the data compression is calibrated to screen size, thus the smaller the screen, the greater the compression, and the higher the data savings.
Using cloud-assisted browsing, Opera says the size of Web pages rendered in an Opera browser can be reduced by up to 90%. Opera Mini is currently supported by up to 3 000 devices.
A dedicated data-tracking page, accessed through the browser's help page, shows users how much data is used and saved in real-time.
“A lot of people don't realise how much money they can save on data traffic, people naturally want an easy way to measure how much data they use,” said CEO of Opera Software Lars Boilesen.
“For people on capped data plans, this is a handy feature to make sure you don't max out reaching those slow, punishing network speeds you might encounter after using up your allowance.”
African opportunity
According to Opera, over 200 million people currently use Opera every month. The Opera Mini browser is the software company's most widely used offering, with over 128 million users worldwide.
Responding to a question regarding Opera's success in African markets, Boilesen said: “Opera Mini is simply the perfect product for markets such as that of Nigeria.
“We have millions of users in that country, and yet we have done no advertising whatsoever. The browser simply works on every phone and provides the cheapest means to access the Internet.”
Executive VP of consumer mobile for Opera Mahi de Silva said: “We make the investment on behalf of the broader Web in order to give access to people who are only able to get their hands on modest devices, with modest connections.”
Dealing with data
Opera has been growing its presence in emerging markets through a number of key partnerships, including those with Vodafone and Mi-Fone, where data-capable phones come with Opera Mini preinstalled.
Data and communications services director for Vodafone Cenk Serdar added: “From a network perspective, operators are facing a huge strain on their networks due to increased data usage, and as a result, anything that helps push data in a more controlled way is better for us”.
Looking ahead, Opera says it is plugging its engineering resources into TV - a major focus area for the company. “If it has a screen, it should have a Web browser,” said Krogh.
Share