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Opera Signs Nokia Phone Deal 106

Posted by Zonk from the tiny-little-singers dept.
Masq666 writes "Opera Software stated on Friday that it had signed a deal with Nokia to put its mobile Internet browser on several Nokia phones. Opera has licensed its mobile Internet browser for a total of 11 Nokia phone models in recent years. Opera's CFO said he expected the rise in the number of phones with Opera's browser to outpace the increase in models."
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Opera Signs Nokia Phone Deal More

Opera Signs Nokia Phone Deal

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  • Yep (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Crowhead ( 577505 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:30PM (#11979137)
    And for an extra $10/mo, you can use the browser without ads.

    • Re:Yep (Score:5, Interesting)

      by UWC ( 664779 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:42PM (#11979250)
      The mobile version of Opera has a 14-day trial period (ad-free) and then won't work without registration (or probably some other workaround; I have yet to investigate).

      I installed it on my Nokia 3660 a while back and let the trial run out before I got around to trying to use it.

      Is the nature of this announcement merely that Opera will officially offer versions that support an increasing number of Nokia phone models? Should I assume users will still have to pay for Opera?

      • I thought this announcement means Nokia is going to bundle the full version of the Opera browser in their phones, at the same time paying Opera to use the technology. I know one case where the phone comes bundled with the browser, with both Nokia and Opera advertising it proudly.

        I only realized today that they're both Finnish companies, so no wonder they're keen to cooperate. Of course the browser itself is IMO reason enough for Nokia to want them, it has tons of features and it's very lightweight, even th

        • Re:Yep (Score:2)

          by UWC ( 664779 )
          Interesting. I guess my hope now is that with the extension comes free retroactive downloads for phones that gain the support. I suppose I should add to that the hope that the 3660 is among the phones that gain such support.

        • Re:Yep (Score:1)

          by Rits ( 453723 )
          Small nit: Opera is Norwegian, not Finnish. Both Fins and Norwegians often know Swedish, maybe that helps in negotiations...

        • Re:Yep (Score:2, Informative)

          by DaAdder ( 124139 )
          Actually Opera Software AS is a Norwegian company, Nokia however is Finnish as you say.

      • Re:Yep (Score:3, Informative)

        by Rits ( 453723 )
        Opera comes pre-installed or on a complimentary CD on some phones, including some Nokia models. And that is what this deal is about. You don't need a deal with Nokia for offering a third-party shareware program...

        See here for the list of current phones [opera.com] where you can either install Opera, or where it is pre-installed.
      • I don't think you'll still have to pay, I think this means you'll get the Opera browser for free for your S60 Nokia phone. Like how I can get the full version of Opera for free for my P900 due to some licensing agreement or something with Sony Ericsson.
    • There are no ads on the mobile version of the browser.
      Only a trial version and it costs 20$ if you want to buy it.
    • this story is quite a conincidence since just 10 mins earlier I downloaded the new version for my UIQ P900. it seems to be free. if not, I'll go back to the slightly older version that came with my phone, though the new freetype fonts are gorgeous.

    • Re:Yep (Score:3, Interesting)

      by SCHecklerX ( 229973 )
      Actually, Nokia has some pretty kickass proxying solutions that rewrite all web content to fit perfectly on a mobile screen. Good stuff.

  • please no adds (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Xiph ( 723935 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:31PM (#11979148)
    As long as it's without the adds, I think it's great to see what i still consider the best browser to be present on cell phones. Albeit that probably means the cell phones are running CE...
    • Why do you say it has to run on CE? Opera does have a port for Linux you know....

      • Re:please no adds (Score:3, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        What do you mean "port"? It seems to me (from the large list of compatible OSes) that Opera was built to be cross-OS capabile from the ground up in the latest versions. The list (in case you were intersted):
        • Windows
        • Solaris Sparc
        • QNX
        • OS/2
        • MacOS
        • Linux Sparc
        • Linux PowerPC
        • Linux i386
        • FreeBSD i386
        • BeOS
        • 'Port' means the version of the software for a given platform. Opera is very portable (or 'cross-OS capable' as you say), which is why there are so many ports!

    • Re:please no adds (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Opera runs fine on SymbianOS phones, like the Nokia 60 series.

    • Re:please no adds (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      well, I have the Nokia 9500 http://www.nokia.com/phones/9500 [nokia.com], which is Symbian OS 7 based, Opera is indeed the default browser, and there are no Ads, hence, the license deal.

    • Re:please no adds (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ianezz ( 31449 )
      As long as it's without the adds, I think it's great to see what i still consider the best browser to be present on cell phones. Albeit that probably means the cell phones are running CE...

      Well, high-end Nokia phones run Symbian OS (obviously: Nokia is a notable member of the Symbian consortium...), which basically is the good 'ol Epoc 32 which ran on Arm PDAs like the Psion Series 5. And Opera has been running for years on such machines, so that should be a no-brainer.

      OTOH, Nokia uses its own GUI on t

      • I remember installing Opera on my Diamond Mako (a rebranded Psion Revo Plus) a few years ago. Since I didn't have a GSM phone to employ as a modem for it, I tried it out on some pages I transferred over the serial connection from my PC. It seemed to do pretty well, but the resolution on that device was 480x160 and was of course a touchscreen, so it wasn't quite the challenge that developing a good interface on a phone would be. Was definitely on Symbian OS (EPOC release 5, apparently). Opera seemed a bit sl
      • Opera already runs on Series60. It has shipped on the memory card for assorted Nokia phones already. This is just a new licensing deal.

    • Dipshit (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by SmallFurryCreature ( 593017 )
      It is nokia, they run symbian. Opera runs on practically everything. Shoot Xiph in the head and shoot the ones who moderated him in the stomach, they should suffer.
    • So count on Pocket IE there...

      *******
      for streaming media on your cell or mobile (or desktop) http://www.radioshowlinks.com/ [radioshowlinks.com]

    • Re:please no adds (Score:3, Interesting)

      by bahwi ( 43111 )
      I've got the Nokia Communicator 9500 and it's Opera with a different skin(Nokia's branded it for themselves, but the same stuff is there).

      No ads, works great too. 9500 Rocks because it's Wifi enabled too. Kinda big, but that's why it has the nickname "The Brick."

    • Re:please no adds (Score:3, Informative)

      by Bronz ( 429622 )
      Opera doesn't run on CE. If would be the symbian OS, as in the past: http://www.opera.com/download/index.dml?platform=s ymbian
    • "probably means the cell phones are running CE..." actually nokia phones tend to (if not exclusively) run symbian and quite well

  • Instead of mouse gestures... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    You dance around with the phone or do a silly walk.

  • Symbian OS (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Broiler ( 804077 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:35PM (#11979186)
    How long until Opera is the defacto browser for all Symbian OS phones?
    • Last month
    • Until Minimo [mozilla.org] 1.0 is released ;)

      • Re:Symbian OS (Score:4, Funny)

        by nafmo ( 147094 ) * <sector3@gmail.com> on Friday March 18, 2005 @05:11PM (#11979575)
        Well, good luck fitting Minimo on those phones. I would wager that the reason why all the screenshots of Minimo running all show Google is not because Google hires Mozilla people, but because their page is what you can display before you run out of memory.

        Opera is designed for running well on low-end machines, which gives it a clear upper hand when it comes to running it on small devices such as mass-market mobile phones.
      • If I wasn't lazy, I would post an identical fictionous support request to both products and see what I get in return.

        Keep on supporting Minimo, I hope it goes somewhere as Opera running on my 2mb ram 7650 but don't support it by undermining Opera.

        Same deal with Mozilla/Opera already started on mobile too?
    • It will take long time.
      The most people still use the default WAP GPRS browser. The bookmarks on the phone are associated with him, and there is no way to make Opera the default browser on the phones.
      I can speak for the current Symbian phones, that have him (Sony Ericsson P800/P900, Nokia 6600).

  • Minimo? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by molrak ( 541582 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:41PM (#11979243) Homepage
    What does this mean for Minimo [mozilla.org] (Mozilla's mini-browser that was funded/supported by Nokia)? It's been less than a year since they announced their financial support for the project [com.com],. I know the mozilla foundation released a few early versions for Windows CE/Pocket, but I haven't heard anything about the mobile phone version.

    • Re:Minimo? (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Given that Minimo is the early stages, it's possible that Nokia is still funding Minimo while using Opera. According to the article, the lowest price Opera charges per device is about 50 cents but you have to be shipping millions of the things to get that. If Minimo develops to a sufficient state, then Nokia gets a free browser. Forever.
      • Or they could just charge an extra 50 cent to the cell phone company and still have a free browser. :-)

        (Yes, I know what the orginal poster was saying. I was just making a joke.)
      • But then every one of Nokias competitors will also have free access to a browser for their mobile phones, and funded by Nokia... :-)
    • What does this mean for Minimo (Mozilla's mini-browser that was funded/supported by Nokia)?

      Nokia probably don't want to put all of their eggs into a single basket, as the saying goes. If the difference between the value added by Opera and the price of Opera is greater than the value added by Minimo, minus any funding from Nokia, then Opera is a better choice. If not, Minimo may be the better one.

    • Opera can be installed and run on my 7650 phone from 2002 (or 3?)

      It has 2 mb of memory. Yes, 2 mb. You can't add anything too.(sigh) If you push a bit as using excellent tools like sdoubler from http://www.psiloc.com/ [psiloc.com] , you may even use Realplayer or Agile Messenger same time.

      This must be the real reason

  • Can anyone comment on the usability... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Lisandro ( 799651 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:48PM (#11979303)
    ...of Opera on cellphones? The main reason i use Opera as my everyday browser on Linux/Windows is because of it's excellent user interface. How does that translate to phones?

    It must be hard browsing without mouse gestures :)

    • Re:Can anyone comment on the usability... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by it0 ( 567968 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @04:58PM (#11979434)
      It works out great, I use version 7.31 on my zaurus.
      I don't understand how it works, but somebody told me that it is a css hack. Anyway for example you have 4 modes, with or without pics and fit to screen (columnn mode) and normal rendering. Let's say you have this complex page with css2 and javascript, some magic happens and it's completely readable on 320x240 in column mode.
      • It's not a CSS hack at all. Each page can have a different CSS for each different type of media [opera.com], including screen, handheld, print, and more. It's up to your browser to decide which one to use.

        In the case of a mobile Opera browser, it will use your page's handheld CSS, if it exists. If it does not exist, the way page elements are displayed is simply altered to the default. For example, table cells are all displayed in one column.

        This is the way HTML is designed and meant to be. Pages should use a
      • Daniel Glazman claims his CSS can do the same for Minimo as Opera's SSR for massaging webpages into something that fits in a 160 pixel wide screen.

        But Opera does much more than applying some styles. See here [opera.com] for the brochure.
    • Lets just say that it was a two horse race, Opera vs IE and Opera won 1st and 2nd and 3rd place. IE was towed to the pet food factory.

      Opera works well and is a proper browser. IE at the time (about 2 years ago) was horribly limited in the mobile version, no css at all for instance. Opera on the other hand could handle regular websites as well or as bad as the full version on your pc.

      Mouse gestures didn't exist but the ones I used were the big slightly laptop form nokia's vs pda MS phones. The widescreen o

    • It works pretty well actually (though I am posting this with it's main s60 rival Netfront). I used it recently when netfront 3.2 wouldn't start (due to a bug that requires you to manually delete the cache with a 3rd party app). Both basically work equally well, reformatting pages for the small screen by scaling images and displaying table cells as block level elements (eliminating sideways scrolling when tables are used for layout). Opera is a bit smarter with css, using the handheld media stylesheet exclus
    • Press shift-F11 and you'll see for yourself.
    • I've a Nokia 7610, and it's fantastic. There aren't many pieces of software that I, personally, consider are worth paying for, but Opera for Symbian is one of them, It's fantastic - it has turned my cute toy into a completely cool essential tool. I've even had to sign up to a data bundle from Orange (UK)!

      Slashdot works particularly well.

  • Ads? I think not.. (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Opera is great for browsing and has always had some form of a popup blocker (yes, even prior to Mozilla). However, It is noteworthy to point out the greatest feature of the Opera browser...."delete all private information".. I don't know a single person who surfs for porn with anything else!

  • Shards of malformed html (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Nexboy ( 868907 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @05:30PM (#11979758) Homepage
    It might be interesting to run these browser-equipped PDA's and phones against the random shards of malformed html generated by Michael Zalewski's program mentioned previously on Slashdot. [slashdot.org]

    I did a quick check of an embedded browser I had laying around, and it died instantly.

  • Opera's CFO said he expected the rise in the number of phones with Opera's browser to outpace the increase in models.

    Umm... Huh?

    So... More models of phones will use Opera than the number of existant phone models?

    Neat trick, this guy should talk to the CEO of a former employer of mine that swore to maintain perpetual X% "growth" per year by making cuts to reach that target.

    Perhaps Bernie didn't do anything wrong... These guys just use a system of math totally incompatible with physical reality. Wor
  • If they weren't in business, we were speaking about the IE domination (and also WinCE) on mobile market right now.

    They make living money only and only from selling browsers and inventing. They had no $2M donation or 400+ elite coders.

    Its a miracle they have come this far and keep on progressing.

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