Opera today released the much anticipated Opera Mobile 8.5 Web browser for Windows Mobile Pocket PC (PPC). Opera 8.5 beta runs on Windows Mobile 2003 and 5.0, offering Opera's full and fast Web surfing experience on the full range of Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices.

"Ever since we released Opera 8 for Windows Mobile 2003 Smartphone in June 2005, people have been asking for Opera for their Pocket PCs," says Christen Krogh, VP Engineering, Opera Software. "We are very pleased to offer the latest version of Opera Mobile to Pocket PC owners, so they may finally have a proper Web experience on their devices."

"Opera Mobile 8.5 for Pocket PC offers unmatched speed and usability, which is why we included it on our latest Sharp W- ZERO3 flagship device for the advanced Japanese market" says Tadasu Tsuchihashi, Executive director, Willcom INC. "Thanks to Opera Mobile's unique rendering technology the Web surfing experience on Pocket PC devices is now remarkably close to that of a PC."

Opera 8.5 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC supports all major Web standards, including CSS2, DOM 2 and JavaScript, and offers a fast, secure and user-friendly Internet experience unlike any other on these devices. Based on Opera's latest core code, Opera 8.5 for Windows Mobile Pocket PC includes Opera's rendering technology that dynamically reformats Web pages to fit the width of any screen size.

Opera Mobile 8.5 beta for Windows Mobile Pocket PC (2003/5.0) is available as a download from Opera for Windows Mobile, Pocket PC.