Mobile browsers also referred to as mini-browsers or micro-browsers are web browsers designed specifically to be used on mobile phones or PDAs. They are optimized to display internet content effectively on small screen of portable or handled devices. Generally they are stripped down version of their desktop counterpart, but the features required from these browsers are steep; like they should use low memory capacity and low bandwidth of wireless handheld devices.
There are many mobile browsers in market today like internet explorer mobile by Microsoft, android browser by Google and blackberry browser by Research in Motion but opera mini (web based browser provided by opera) is the best web browser Smartphone device market has seen yet. So what makes opera mini undisputed king of mobile browsing? Let’s find out:
Opera mini allows us to view full webpage, a major feature which internet explorer mobile or any other major brand mobile-browser lacks. Open the page Facebook.com from internet explorer mobile and you will be redirected to “m.facebook.com”; open the same in opera mini and it will let you enjoy the web page in its full glory. Opera-mini includes several new features, which includes: automatic competition of web addresses, which makes it easier to get to the site you need.
Opera-mini also include tools for attaching file to web-based email, uploading content and photos to your blog or site and also downloading attachments from email which can be stored in phone memory. Opera-mini also gives us option for saving the page offline, so that we can view the page even when we are not connected to the network. It also lets you search for text within a web page, so that you can get to information quickly.
Some other features included in mini version of opera are: bookmarks synching, speed Dial, page viewing in landscape mode, power scrolling mode. With development of mobile technology web browsers now support full CSS and opera mini is no exception. It has native support for CSS 2.1 and JavaScript. Due to handset limitations and client-server architecture of opera-mini AJAX applications cannot be expected to run properly, although XMLHttpRequest is supported, therefore many AJAX websites will run properly.
Though Opera has been the undisputed king of the web browser domain, Firefox is all set to give it tough competition in times ahead