Opera Mobile 9.7 beta promises super-fast surfing

Opera Software has unveiled Opera Mobile 9.7b1, a beta of the next version of its hugely successful web browser for Windows Mobile.

The company has addressed two key gripes with most mobile internet users, namely the limited resources available on most Windows Mobile devices and the slower data speeds when out of 3G access.

The new Opera Turbo system uses compression algorithms to reduce the amount of data traffic needed, and server-accelerated rendering to offload much of the page rendering to Opera's servers before passing the information on to the phone.

This approach is similar to that used by Skyfire, which recently launched a full version of its fully featured mobile browser for Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 devices.

Opera has also included its newly upgraded Opera Presto 2.2 browser engine, promising to boost page load speeds by as much as 25 per cent and offer better overall performance.

"There are other mobile browsers on the market that claim to be faster and more web site-compatible on Windows-based phones, but I challenge users to take Opera Mobile for a test drive and discover a new standard for speed and compatibility. Opera Mobile 9.7 leaves other 'sluggish' and 'painfully slow' browsers in the dust," said Jon von Tetzchner, chief executive of Opera Software.

"Not everyone owns a 3G phone and not everyone needs to. This is why Opera's focus is on improving our browser so that your Edge network feels like you're surfing 3G-style or better."

The new beta also adds Opera Widgets, giving users quick access to many of their favourite sites and services. A software developer kit is available for those who would like to create their own widgets.

Windows Mobile users wishing to try out the new beta can download it directly from the Opera Mobile download site.

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