Opera Software releases Opera Mobile 9.5 beta

It's time that Opera Mobile got its due. Long overshadowed by Opera Mini--the light, server-fed browser for Java phones--Opera Mobile is a robust browser built on Web standards (and written with C and C++) that's known for delivering a full Web experience to Windows Mobile and Symbian phones.

Yet even though Opera Mobile has made good as a much closer approximation of the desktop Internet experience, it traditionally hasn't received the same developmental attention as Opera Mini. With Opera Mobile 9.5 beta, released on Thursday as freeware, things begin to change.

The icon-based navigation bar is seamless and clean, though generic.

In many ways, this beta version of Opera Mobile is a fusion of Opera's Desktop and Mini versions. It inherits certain tabbing, searching, linking, and saving capabilities from Opera Desktop 9.5, and Opera Mini's search and display settings.

What follows is a full hands-on review of Opera Mobile 9.5 beta that takes into account the program's newly redesigned interface, features, performance enhancements, Opera Dragonfly, issues, and what to expect from future beta builds, of which there will be several before the final release. We also won't leave out availability and price.

Interface

The redesigned interface focuses on a small strip of navigational icons at the base of the app and concealed context menus that appear where applicable when you tap and hold. For instance, opening the context menu when hovered over a link gives you options of opening the link in a new tab, copying the URL, or sending the link to friends. The main context menu can be accessed by tapping and holding the white space, whereas the inverted 'v' on the navigation pops up a third options menu.

This new design replaces actionable menu items and helps boost clarity while reducing clutter. If you don't see the menu option you're looking for, you know you've mis-tapped. Without the familiar desktop icons, Opera Mobile 9.5 beta replaces the Opera-branded character with a generic sleek and modern look. You decide if that's good.

New features

Only about two-thirds of the final features are present in this first 9.5 beta build (see the road map section below), but already surpasses version 8.65 in terms of the browsing experience--with one caveat.

Opera Mobile 9.5 beta ditches true tabs in favor of layered windows.

This new beta version opens in the full-screen browsing mode by default, which lets users pick a starting point and zoom in for closer reading, and entire pages can now be saved for later. Like the 9.5 desktop version, there's in-text search with Find in Page and text highlighting; a Google search bar when you tap to enter a URL, and an address bar fitted with auto-complete that harnesses your browsing history by suggesting compatible sites as you begin typing.

In this case, not all that is newer is better. While Opera retains its support for tabbed browsing, it replaces the true tabbing experience of Opera Mobile 8.65--ironically defined as "windows"--with a reversion to separate browsing windows, ironically called "tabs."

In addition, the beta update appears to have lost some zoom granularity, though in a demonstration at Opera's California office, Sales Engineer Brian Purdy explained that zooming features differ by handset manufacturers.