March seems to be the month of the big web browser releases. Microsoft started the fray with Internet Explorer 9, followed by the final version of Firefox 4 yesterday. Now it is Opera with new versions of the Opera Mobile and Opera Mini browser.
First of, what’s the difference between Opera Mobile and Opera Mini? The core difference is the location of the browser engine. For Opera Mobile 11, the browser engine is located on the mobile device, for Opera Mini, it is located on the Opera server. Opera Mini 6 usually displays websites a lot faster than Opera Mobile does, thanks to the fact that it does not tax cpu and memory that much, and that all data is compressed before it is send to the phone.
The second difference is compatibility. Opera Mini works on nearly every mobile device, Opera Mobile 11 on the other hand has been released only for Android and Symbian, with the possibility that additional devices will be supported in the future (Lab versions are available for Maemo, MeeGo and Windows).
Here is a short video demonstrating some of the capabilities of Opera Mini 6 and Opera mobile 11.
Opera Mobile 11 sports a new modernized user interface that has been optimized for tablet devices. Rendering technologies have been updated with a new Presto rendering engine, better JavaScript performance and support for popular technologies such as HTML5 Video, Adobe Flash support (Android only) and multi-touch events.
Zooming has been improved in several ways, text should for instance stay sharp during zooming. New social networks sharing options have been introduced, as well as a session restore feature and faster framerates when panning and zooming.
A full list of features is available at the Opera Mobile blog.
The list of feature additions is a lot smaller for Opera Mini 6. The mini browser supports a fresh new look and similar content sharing options. The browser supports the popular Youtube video platform now with options to play the Youtube videos on the device’s native media player.
Add to that better font support, an option to open links in the background, improved zoom for touchscreens and a design that has been specifically designed for tablet use.
Opera Mini 6 can be downloaded directly on your phone at http://m.opera.com/. Users who prefer to download it to their PC instead can download Opera Mini 6 from the official website.
Android users can point their browsers to Opera Mini and Opera Mobile on the Android Market
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook or Twitter.Related Articles:
Opera Mini 6.5 Update Released For Various Mobile DevicesOpera Mini Now Available In Appleland
Opera Mini 5 beta
Use The Opera Mini Browser On A PC
Opera 9.5 Mobile Beta 2
Thanks, I’ve been wondering what the differences are between these two, but I think Opera Mobile also allows Turbo.
well opera mini is the best browser i have ever used. i have been using it for a long time which have best features you can not get it in the normal browsers included with the mobile. its quick and so many short cut in the main menu. i am sure this release must include more features as expected…..
Thanks opera! Only reason I didn’t already use opera mobile on my android phone was the lack of option to open links in the background. Now thats in so opera mobile became my main browser on android.
I tried out Opera Mobile 11 on my laptop, went to YouTube. what? no flash? okay so I went to youtube.com/html5, switched it on and now it plays webm video :)
i have downloaded opera11 three times from http://www.operamini.com/mobile/ and they are all corrupt.i was devastated.
i cant log-out in FB! so frustrating! i keep on scrolling down for the logout button but it keeps on loading! i want to sign in with my another account. help!
sign me out cancel me out of opera mini please i dont like it