14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is full of surprises this week with the release of an unexpected Snow Leopard update and now the approval of a competitive mobile web browser for iPhone and iPod touch, Opera Mini. Submitted by its makers almost one month ago, the application looked as if it didn’t stand a chance at living next to Safari on a user’s iPhone or iPod touch, but Apple appears to have eased up a bit on those feature-duplication policies.
“Opera today announced its popular mobile browser, Opera Mini has been approved for iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store,” the latest announcement from the developer’s website reads.
“Opera Mini will be available as a free download within 24 hours, depending on market,” Opera Software said at the time it received word that its app had been approved.
“We are delighted to offer iPhone and iPod touch users a great browsing experience with the Opera Mini App,” Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software, added. “This app is another step toward Opera's goal of bringing the Web to more people in more places.”
Currently, all iTunes App Stores are showing the availability of the app. Softpedia readers can use the link below to download Opera Mini for iPhone and iPod touch right now, for free.
Download Opera Mini for iPhone / iPod touch (Free)
Opera Mini for iPhone first look
Our first tests indicate that, although the browser loads pages super-fast (compared with Apple’s Safari), it doesn’t handle non-mobile websites all that well. An impressive set of features is available, though, including the ability to find text in page, save a web page for offline viewing, the Opera-specific Speed Dial, tabs, and an impressive array of settings that the user can tweak for the ideal browsing experience. While page loading is snappy, the app itself isn’t.
It sometimes takes more than two taps of a button to get something to work, while more than four tabs will eat up a first-gen iPhone’s memory (128MB) like there’s no tomorrow. Opera’s use of gestures like pinch-to-zoom, or double tap also results in rather strange behavior.
