Speed and user interface as plus points - zoom is weak
Opera's mobile browser Opera Mini http://www.opera.com is now also available free of charge for the iPhone and iPod touch. For a long time it was not certain that Apple would release the application in the store, as the mobile browser is a direct competitor to the preinstalled Safari and Apple has so far not been noticed with a transparent approach to the approval of programs in the app store.
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Convincing speed and interface
In the pressetext test, the Opera browser scores above all with its intuitive user interface and fast page loading. Opera can always compete with Apple's Safari in terms of general operation as well as loading complex websites. However, the browser shows its true strengths with slow network connections. This is because the clear menu can be used to reduce the image quality or to dispense with loading images at all, which is a welcome additional feature when there are no 3G connections.
The tab system that Opera uses to manage several open homepages is also visually appealing. The pages are shown as small icons in an additional bar, switching turns out to be an easy exercise. The start screen with nine graphic panels, familiar from all Opera browsers, also proves to be useful for quickly opening the most frequently used pages.
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Practical start screen (Photo: opera.com)
Zoom functions react unruly
However, the zoom function causes some frowns, which for iPhone users feels unfamiliar or even unreliable. For example, website content cannot be enlarged at will, for example in order to view an image section in detail. As soon as the maximum zoom is reached, the browser even reduces the website, although the movement of the finger suggests the opposite. "Since Opera renders the content in advance for the mobile screen, the zoom works a little differently. In contrast to Safari, a single click is sufficient to enlarge the content of the page," said Opera spokesman Pal Unanue-Zahl in an interview with pressetext.
The automatic adjustment of text modules to the screen size works, unlike in Safari, only to a limited extent, since the browser apparently only partially copes with the motion sensor. Opera adjusts the requested page to the currently used screen position. But if you switch from a vertical to a horizontal view or vice versa, the adjustment no longer works. Only reloading the page shows that Opera has the function in principle.
Opera also wants to score points with its Opera Link function, which is supposed to keep the iPhone browser in sync with other computers or mobile devices in terms of bookmarks and saved pages. Other functions include marking and copying text and saving images and links.(ck) paste
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