Thursday, March 11, 2010

Android: A Night at the Opera

We have seen Microsoft releasing apps on Android and now web browser Opera has launched a free beta version of its Mini 5 software on the Google Android operating system. The browsers may not be the most popular on the PC but it clearly sees an opportunity on the mobile.

So we downloaded it and installed it and then tested it against the normal Android browser and it was clearly faster. This is its plus point as it compresses web pages making them faster to load and lighter on bandwidth. If you have an Android phone would recommend it.

Opera also offers the Opera Mobile browser which works on Symbian and Windows Mobile phones.

It starts to raise several interesting app issues. First there is ‘Fortress Apple’ which prohibits what it does like, censors anything it deems unsuitable and offers end to end control. Opera has apparently demonstrated a version of Opera on the iPhone, but Apple only allows their own browser on its handset. Secondly we have the question of whether ‘Fortress Apple’ is going to prove it’s Achilles Heel. Remember those betamax versus VHS battles? The winner was decided by the guys who provided the first camera as this was an instant hit with the pornographic industry. On Android you are not censored by it a Browser, a tool from Microsoft or some adult material. Maybe this may prove a decider over time.

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