Opera Software has unveiled a super-lightweight browser aimed at Web-enabling some 700 million low-end and mid-tier mobile phones. Dubbed Opera Mini, the browser works on WAP-enabled, J2ME-equipped (Java 2 Mobile Edition) handsets, provided the selected wireless carrier supports the service, Opera says.

Opera Mini is based on a small Java client that is installed on the phone, along with a remotely located server that pre-processes Web pages and delivers them to the device, Opera said. The mini browser makes use of Opera's small screen rendering technology. “It has all the features expected of a browser, and more, such as bookmarks, browsing history, and ability to split large pages into smaller sections for faster browsing,” the company claims on its website.

Example of Opera browser's Small Screen Rendering. The left image indicates how a normal web page tends to display on a phone's tiny LCD; the right image shows how SSR renders the page.
(click each image for a larger view)

Installing Opera Mini is as easy as downloading a ringtone, according to Opera. “Users simply send an SMS or visit a link through their WAP browser to receive it, and they are online in an instant.”

Opera suggests that adding Web access to low- and mid-tier phones has the potential to “dramatically increase” revenues by boosting the use of mobile Web services.

The company says it will customize Opera Mobile for mobile operators, broadcasters, content providers, and Internet companies who wish to offer branded versions of the mini browser to their customers.

“Mobile Web surfing has until now been limited to more advanced phones that are capable of running a browser,” said Opera CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner. “With Opera Mini you don't have to have an advanced phone to surf the Web, which means that most people can use it with their existing phones.”

A popular commercial television station in Norway has become the first provider of the new mini browser, according to Opera. The station is bundling a branded version of Opera Mini with its mobile services, as part of a pilot project. “Finally we see how we can generate revenue from real mobile browsing,” said Morten Holst, VP Strategy, TV2 Interactive. “By introducing TV2's portal through Opera Mini we have combined the best of mobile services with mobile Web access.”

Motorola has incorporated Opera's full-fledged mobile browser into its Linux phones, such as the A780.

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