Opera Software today released the mobile version of their new browser, Opera 8 for Symbian S60. The new browser encapsulates ten years of cross-platform browser development and delivers innovation as well as customization opportunities in one small package.

Opera 8 for Symbian S60 represents the latest in Web browser technology, providing an unparalleled Web experience for the wide range of mobile phones based on Symbian S60. The browser is based on the same engine as the newly released and popular Opera 8 for Windows, Linux and Mac. Its improved support for JavaScript and DOM makes it a powerful technology platform for the development of mobile Web applications. For the end-user, this means more speed and better functionality than ever before, while operators can now offer their subscribers advanced mobile services and an unparalleled mobile Internet experience.

The new version includes a major upgrade in Opera's unique Small-Screen Rendering (SSR), the technology that reformats Web sites to fit the width of mobile screens. Opera 8 for S60 also introduces four-way navigation with fast scrolling for efficient browsing on small screens. Users can now choose between two rendering modes: Quality and Speed. The Quality mode keeps more of the original site color, design and layout than previous versions of SSR; in Speed mode, Web page rendering is more basic but 25 percent faster.

"Opera has developed its own market foresight by introducing cutting-edge Web technologies for a decade, all the while maintaining our drive to deliver a superior Web browsing experience across different platforms and media channels," says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "Fully compliant with Web standards and Opera's customer requirements, Opera 8 strengthens the company's position as the leading browser vendor on the S60 platform, and brings the latest in Opera's full mobile Web experience to millions of users around the world."

Armed with new and improved SSR and other innovations, Opera 8 is a proven customizable and extendible mobile browser. It allows operators and handset makers to maintain customer loyalty and reduce churn by quickly and affordably bring new services to market.

Symbian is continuing to strengthen its leading position in advanced 3G markets. According to the company, 12 of the 48 phone models based on the Symbian OS currently shipping are designed for 3G networks. Opera is well prepared for this development, and the new Opera 8 for mobile is designed to take full advantage of high-speed connectivity.

Availability

Opera 8 for S60 is available to download from Opera's mobile pages. Users with the previous version, Opera 6.20, will receive a free upgrade.

Mobile Accelerator

The Opera Mobile Accelerator reduces the size of Web pages by 50-90 percent. This dramatically increases surfing speed on GPRS networks. It is not recommended on 3G networks. Sign up at the mobile accelerator page.