Reviewing Opera Mini 5 beta 2 for your Mobile?

Recently Opera released a new version of their Opera Mini series for mobile browsing. The Opera Mini 5 Beta 2 offers a variety of new features as well as a lot of tweaks to fix the issues of the last version. This version of the browser is available to download now, but what features make it worthwhile?

Speed Dial

Opera Mini 5 beta 2 - Speed Dial (Image courtesy of Opera Software)

The first noticeable difference is the addition of the speed dial feature. Similar to some PC browsers, it presents you with a selection of visual bookmarks of your favourite web pages. This allows you to browse quicker and easier.  Speaking of quicker and easier, the developers knew these are key to mobile browsing and have developed a method of compressing pages by up to 90% before sending them to your phone. This gives Opera faster page-load times than any other mobile browser.

Adaptive and Intuitive

This version of Opera is also highly intuitive. When visiting a web page it can display an overview of the page and suggests where to begin reading. It also detects if a webpage is designed for mobile browsing and adapts it accordingly. Mobile view fits the content to your phone via reformatting the page into a single column alleviating the need for infuriating horizontal panning.

Once the page is loaded you can then use the zoom feature to move from 60% to 200% zoom level. You can also use the search feature to quickly find specific text within the web page, making the whole process of searching a page vastly easier.

Tabbed Browser

Opera Mini 5 beta 2 - Tabbed Browsing (Image courtesy of Opera Software)

Another major new feature is the Tabbed Browser. Unlike many other mobile browsers, with this version you can have multiple tabs open at the same time allowing you to jump easily from one tab to another. Through this you could be checking your email and facebook simultaneously.

Opera Link & Download Manager

The two other major additions are the Opera Link and Download Manager. The Opera link feature is extremely useful as it enables you to synchronise your bookmarks and speed dial between your mobile phone and desktop computer. With this you will be able to keep on top of what you were doing even when you step out of the office. The download manager provides easier control over your ongoing downloads with options to pause and resume downloads.

Additional Perks

Another useful little perk that this new version browser offers include a password manager feature which can be used to remember your various login details on sites. It also offers adaptive zoom for controlling the panning speed based on your zoom level and compatibility with landscape modes on phones.

This multitude of new and improved features has certainly made the Opera Mini 5 beta 2 a worthwhile update to your mobile browsing. The advancement and modifications provide a more in-depth and intuitive service making mobile browsing that little bit less infuriating. The new version is compatible with most recent internet phones and the download is available from the Opera Software site.

If you wish to download this new version directly to you mobile, point your phone at http://m.opera.com/next

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