Some thoughts around Opera Platform and AJAX gone mobile
Friday, 24. February 2006, 15:49:32
At 3GSM we announced [press release] the first commercial deployment of Opera Platform. The Norwegian company Freedom Media launched their new Freedom service, all using open-standards Opera Platform browser technology.
Arguably, the name "Opera Platform" can be a source of confusion. Think "Opera Widgets" or "Opera Web Applications." Because that's what Opera Platform is - a tool and an environment to create and run Web applications, or what is commonly referred to as widgets.
Widgets are becoming increasingly popular on the desktop to get access to the services and information you want, when you want it. The widgets appear with the click of a button, and they load instantly. Very efficient, and what's more - fun. And because these are Web apps, creating them is easy, quick and cheap, and there is no limit to the use cases and number of widgets you can have. And anybody with Web designing skills can contribute and make new ones, resulting in an always growing number of widgets.
If you think widgets are great on the desktop you should try them on your mobile. With fewer input methods, smaller screens, limited hardware and bandwidth constraints, getting exactly the Web based content or service you need, customized for your mobile phone and/or personal preference is just great. This is what Opera Platform lets you do. And because it's utilizing AJAX, the widgets are blazingly fast and the information you seek is right there on your screen when you click the button or link.
There are many ways to do this. The Freedom application is one. They offer pay-per-view services ranging from news, weather and maps to real-time stock tickers and SMS. As the interface is basically a Web page, the design, look and feel can be customized in any way, shape or form.
We have a lot of demo widgets that we are playing with here at Opera. For example, we have an in-house demo widget that tells you when the next bus leaves for the city - by clicking once. Simple, but so handy. Because your mobile phone can always be positioned, Opera Platform widgets can give you localized content and services. Imagine the possibilities. Users can subscribe to a promotion widget and receive personalized offers from shops in the area, or get the train times, check their emails, read the news, look up local street maps or update their blog. The possibilities and business models are endless. And this is all based on the Opera browser and existing, open-standards Web technologies.
At Opera we pride ourselves in providing the best (and a full) Internet experience on any device, including mobile phones. And being able to visit any Web page with your mobile is great. That said, most Web pages are still designed for a desktop screen and although Small Screen Rendering does a nice job reformatting these for your small screen, you may not always be interested in ALL that information when on-the-go. That's where widgets are so great because they let you get what you need, and get it fast.
Because remember, the browser is a lot more than a tool to visit Web sites; it is a powerful presentation engine that allows you to create great content faster and cheaper.
What would be your favorite mobile widget?
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Arguably, the name "Opera Platform" can be a source of confusion. Think "Opera Widgets" or "Opera Web Applications." Because that's what Opera Platform is - a tool and an environment to create and run Web applications, or what is commonly referred to as widgets.
Widgets are becoming increasingly popular on the desktop to get access to the services and information you want, when you want it. The widgets appear with the click of a button, and they load instantly. Very efficient, and what's more - fun. And because these are Web apps, creating them is easy, quick and cheap, and there is no limit to the use cases and number of widgets you can have. And anybody with Web designing skills can contribute and make new ones, resulting in an always growing number of widgets.
If you think widgets are great on the desktop you should try them on your mobile. With fewer input methods, smaller screens, limited hardware and bandwidth constraints, getting exactly the Web based content or service you need, customized for your mobile phone and/or personal preference is just great. This is what Opera Platform lets you do. And because it's utilizing AJAX, the widgets are blazingly fast and the information you seek is right there on your screen when you click the button or link.
There are many ways to do this. The Freedom application is one. They offer pay-per-view services ranging from news, weather and maps to real-time stock tickers and SMS. As the interface is basically a Web page, the design, look and feel can be customized in any way, shape or form.
We have a lot of demo widgets that we are playing with here at Opera. For example, we have an in-house demo widget that tells you when the next bus leaves for the city - by clicking once. Simple, but so handy. Because your mobile phone can always be positioned, Opera Platform widgets can give you localized content and services. Imagine the possibilities. Users can subscribe to a promotion widget and receive personalized offers from shops in the area, or get the train times, check their emails, read the news, look up local street maps or update their blog. The possibilities and business models are endless. And this is all based on the Opera browser and existing, open-standards Web technologies.
At Opera we pride ourselves in providing the best (and a full) Internet experience on any device, including mobile phones. And being able to visit any Web page with your mobile is great. That said, most Web pages are still designed for a desktop screen and although Small Screen Rendering does a nice job reformatting these for your small screen, you may not always be interested in ALL that information when on-the-go. That's where widgets are so great because they let you get what you need, and get it fast.
Because remember, the browser is a lot more than a tool to visit Web sites; it is a powerful presentation engine that allows you to create great content faster and cheaper.
What would be your favorite mobile widget?
WIDGETIZE