Opera is on a mobile roll, so to speak. In mid-December the open source browser maker announced its Opera Mini Web browser would be shipping in most markets with selected (NYSE: NOK) 6300s.
Opera Mini is a Java-based Web browser that offers users full Internet access on the majority of mobile phones in the market.
By using a server to preprocess and compress Web sites before sending them to the handset, Opera Mini reduces the size of data transferred to speed up the browser's response.
Opera has gained a reputation for browser innovation, particularly with Opera Mini 3.0.
The new version launched in November with enhanced mobile social networking abilities for photo sharing, RSS (really simple syndication) feed readers, and secure connections for online banking and shopping. Opera's largest opportunity may be with mobile devices. The mobile Web is getting more traffic.
Fifteen percent of mobile services subscribers accessed the Internet from their mobile devices in 2005, according to . That compared to only 6 percent in 2004. Analysts expect 2006 numbers to be strong.
While (Nasdaq: MSFT) Internet Explorer and Firefox outpace Opera on personal computers, Opera is burning up the mobile handset market. Opera may have to wait for its ultimate payoff, but getting a head start in this growing market is likely to position the developer well for the future.
"Mobile browsing is still not a super-mainstream consumer activity, but it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg syndrome," Gartenberg remarked.
"You need to have a good browsing experience on the phone for people to begin to start using it. Fortunately, that's what we are starting to see happen now. We are definitely beginning to get closer to the time when mobile browsing moves to a mainstream activity.
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