Opera 8.5 will be integrated on Archos 604 WiFi Portable Media Player, announced Opera Software in a press release. Following a successful similar initiative dating back to 2005, when the browser found its way onto the Archos Pocket Media Assistant PMA400 in 2005, Opera 8.5 will deliver the Medium Screen Rendering technology to the portable player, making the best out of the four inch screen space available.

"Opera is a very valuable partner for us and its browser is an asset to our product," explained Henri Crohas, Archos founder and chief executive officer. "With Opera, we broke some barriers in the pocket media assistant realm in 2005 by making an advanced device that not only boasted 30 GB of storage and could record TV programs, but also provided full Internet access. This time around we have selected Opera once again to deliver a superior Internet experience to this new generation Archos device, ensuring our customers a fast and reliable surfing experience."

"We are excited to be working with Archos once again and are fans of the company's innovative products," stated Scott Hedrick, Executive Vice President, Opera Software. "Opera complements their new device by adding versatility - which results in more user options. It was important to Archos to deliver the highest quality Internet experience and for users to not feel hindered in accessing their favourite sites from this device. Opera achieves this by bringing the full, unabridged Internet to the A604WIFI in a surprisingly PC-like manner - an experience that is unmatched on a small device."

Opera Software's ascendant evolution on the browser market to a share of 0.64% is due, in part, to its positioning in relation to portable devices and phones. Net Applications commented on Opera's continual growth as the adoption process will broaden.