Opera adds auto-complete

Today, Opera announced a new version of its phone browser. Its mobile and mini browser sport a built-in search feature that among other things predicts what you are searching for.

We feel you! Typing on mobile devices can be a pain. Just like our users, we at Opera Software would like to do as little typing on small screens as possible. As we are no fans of everyday annoyances, Opera today launched new versions of their browsers for mobile devices to make its users’ lives easier.

We listened to you and added suggestions. Search suggestions from Google and Yandex complement smarter domain recognition in this version update. With the Opera Mini 6.1 and Opera Mobile 11.1 browsers, using the Web on your phone is even easier, as the built-in search field will now show suggestions as you type and save you hassle on the go.

The Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers not only complete your search queries, they also adapt to your surfing habits. With the new top-level domain learning feature, new top-level domains such as .uk, .ru and .id are picked up by the browser so you can type less, next time around.

‚We have a saying at Opera: Listen to our users,‚ said Dag Olav Norem, VP Product Management, Opera Software. ‚As a company, we are constantly listening to our users on what they want in their browser. So, to our most vocal consumers, thank you and keep the feedback coming!‚

Same, same but different

So what is the difference between the Opera Mini and the Opera Mobile browsers? They look very much the same to the user, but underneath the slick user interface, there is a world of difference.

The Opera Mini browser uses Opera servers to transcode and compress webpages by up to 90% before they are sent to the device. It always sends your web server traffic securely. Due to Opera Mini’s data compression, it will work on almost any phone and will always be faster than the alternatives ‚Äî cheaper too. It’s on: Java (J2ME), BlackBerry, S60, Android, and iOS.

The Opera Mobile browser is a full-fledged internet browser that does all the heavy lifting on your phone itself. It shares the same rendering engine as that for Opera for desktop, bringing leading HTML5 support to smartphones and tablets. It’s the ultimate choice for smartphone browsing when on fast and free connections. On the Opera Mobile browser, compression can be enabled / disabled as you prefer. It’s available on: Android, S60, Win7 Desktop, and MeeGo devices.

The beauty is in the standards

Opera Software is an avid supporter of web standards, making life easier for developers and end users.

Opera Mobile is built around a common core that all Opera browsers share, Opera Presto. With Opera Mobile 11.1, an upgrade to Opera Presto means better standards support and improved performance for end users. In Opera Mobile 11.1, the CSS support now includes multi-columns and linear gradients right on your mobile phone.

The Opera Mini and Opera Mobile browsers are available as free downloads at m.opera.com and in the Android Market.