Opera Otaku

Here's the press release: Your phone's best friend: the new Opera Mini

Official download page with information on the new features

Announcement, extra info, and forum links on the Opera Mini blog: Opera Mini 4.1 beta available for testing!

Guided tour video

I've tried it out, of course, and the new features (autocomplete, direct address input, search within the address bar, find in page) are all great, and browsing feels even faster than before (if that's possible).

Note: I'm currently using a Samsung SPH-M610 on Sprint (borrowed from Opera) until I get a new phone.

(Opera-related, of course)

Don't throw away your old cell phones just because you crave the full Web browsing experience on expensive and power-hungry smartphones that have advanced operating systems. Use Opera Mini, which works on any phone (even old ones) that run Java applications. It's good for your pocketbook, and it's good for the environment. If you must have a smartphone, you can give your Opera Mini-powered phone to someone who needs cheap and fast Web access on-the-go. It'd be one less phone in a landfill somewhere.

I just wanted to join in and say happy 1st birthday to Opera Mini, easily one of my favorite Opera products. The birthday celebration website can be found here: http://www.operamini.com/bday/ (be sure to check out the great comic!)

To celebrate the occasion, here is a little story I'd like to share about an Opera Mini experience I had. We all know how great Opera Mini is, how it brings the real web to millions of people all over the world, but did you know that it can also bring you discounts and access to free stuff, including free food? Seriously!

Granted, this probably doesn't apply to every version of Opera Mini, but it certainly applies to the US version that I downloaded. In the preinstalled bookmarks, you might notice a link to Cellfire, which offers coupons to a number of stores and restaurants. All you have to do is enter your phone info and zip code, and you'll have access to coupons that work right on your cell phone (no printing necessary)!

One night, after doing some Christmas shopping in downtown San Diego with my wife, we decided to eat at TGI Fridays (which we figured would be kid-friendly enough for our toddler). I remembered seeing a coupon for a free appetizer (with entree purchase) on Cellfire (accessed through Opera Mini), so I pulled it up on my phone and showed the Friday's waiter, who said he just had to have his manager approve, and it would be fine.

Near the end of the meal, the waiter came back with another waiter (a friend, presumably) and the restaurant manager. The manager took one look at the coupon on my phone screen and said it was fine, much to the amazement of the second waiter who didn't believe at first that a coupon from a cell phone was legitimate and would be accepted. It was pretty cool.

I was tempted to go around telling the other diners about the appetizer coupon they could use if they'd only install Opera Mini on their phones. Anyhow, if you live in the US and have the Cellfire link in your Opera Mini preinstalled bookmarks, check it out. You really have nothing to lose, and plenty to gain!