Slashdot Mirror
Domain: operamini.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to operamini.com.
Comments · 29
-
Re:"I know it can be avoided, but [PANIC PANIC]"
It comes down to this: will these SaaS vendors be our partners in using the Internet, or our captors?
What a silly question, the answer is "our captors" of course.
Oddly, there wasn't so much fuss over Opera's compression service, which is opt-in for Opera Mobile and always on for Opera Mini.
Opera Mini is not a full fledge browser but it is free, Opera Mobile is a full browser but it costs $.
In the case of Opera Mobile and Opera Desktop you can certainly enable or disable opera's compression service. -
"I know it can be avoided, but [PANIC PANIC]"Quoth TFA in its fifth sentence:
Before I get accused panicking, let me emphasize that I am fully aware that Silk will let you opt out of this feature, and use the browser without EC2 participation.
By the end of TFA, The Fine Author forgot it:
Rather than try to contain the Internet, SaaS providers are trying to get between us and the Internet. And they're doing it with slick and catchy ways that slowly ensnare us before we even know what's going on.
Privacy, security, and unlimited access to data are all at risk here. This is why efforts the Open Knowledge Foundation and Open Cloud Initiative are so important. These and other similar organizations represent different ways to keep access to our data limited to just who we want to have it, and no one else.
It comes down to this: will these SaaS vendors be our partners in using the Internet, or our captors?
Oddly, there wasn't so much fuss over Opera's compression service, which is opt-in for Opera Mobile and always on for Opera Mini.
-
Streisand effect URL is http://news.bbc.co.uk/low
Bookmark http://news.bbc.co.uk/low
No ads, worldwide news, works great over dial-up, is fantastic on a phone (no smartphone? Get Opera Mini for your idiotphone at http://operamini.com/ ). It crushes every other non-local mobile news source.
And in passing you'll learn who won the Ashes in cricket.
-
opera mini on you pc (-flash, +compression also)You could piggyback on Opera Mini (I have no idea what their eula says, Im not a lawyer, etc). They claim to compress web content by 90% on their backend before the output is redirected to your phone (or PC, in this case).
Download Opera Mini and the Microemulator
http://www.operamini.com/download/pc/generic/generic_advanced_midp_2/
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=30014&package_id=21993&release_id=587061
You could also try uninstalling Flash is generally pretty easy. Zipping all your attachments etc
Oh and stop reading pages like Slashdot. Its all just nonsense anyways.
-
Re:Minimo2
Opera Mini is free-as-in-beer. Gratis, but not libre.
-
Re:Non-Tech Percent of Web Traffic from Chrome
It's actually quite useful to have details of the platform as well. On desktops it doesn't matter too much, it's the difference between offering a Windows, Linux or Mac download link for example.
On mobiles, it's the difference between a single download link for your handset and a site like this, that requires the user to know the model of handset they have, and to wade through large menus on a small screen.
User agent strings make this possible. I still hate them though, because they don't make it easy.
-
Re:Good way to turn a positive thing negativeHas anybody, anywhere EVER had a positive user experience with a Java app? Yeah actually - Opera Mini is superb.
-
Re:Pointless?
One sick of phones having nearly-useless web browsers, when the only phone with a useful one is locked.
Any cheap old phone can run Opera Mini. I too was annoyed by the poor quality of my phone's built in browser, but now I never have any trouble. It even has features like server-side downscaling of image sizes, thus reducing download times (and costs) - so even if your phone does have a decent browser, it's worth a look. -
Re:Apple SHOULD go 3GAT&T's 3G network works great. I get 700kbps on a Samsung Blackjack. It would be nice to have a phone with a decent browser to use on the network. 3G beats the crap out of Edge and there is no cost difference in the data plan (at least for a black jack). So Opera Mini is not a decent browser on a Samsung Blackjack? Sure, Opera Mini doesn't have multitouch and the Blackjack doesn't have that huge fabulous screen, but Opera Mini has had cool mobile features like landscape mode, zoom, fit-to-width, virtual mouse, and power scrolling shortcuts.
I'm not trying to downplay the greatness of iPhone/Safari, but I think Opera brought great web browsing to mobile phones before Apple did.
-
Re:There's more here than meets the eyeYes, this platform really is that special, no matter how much you, personally, might hate Apple, the iPhone, or both.) Really? From here in the UK, I still just don't "get" the iPhone. Anecdotally I don't know anyone who has one or is planning on getting one (locked or unlocked) Even the salesman in the Apple store couldn't explain how the damn thing was better than my cheap ass* £30 Nokia, apart from using vague terms like the "iphone experience" whatever that means. In the end I got him to admit that the only thing it had over my phone was the GUI, and that my phone could replicate anything else it did with a bit of help eg:
Check my email: http://www.google.com/mobile/ (or just go direct to the gmail site with the phone browser)
Browse the web: http://www.operamini.com/ (if you don't like the built in browser)
Even visual voicemail can be simulated using MMS (a feature the iPhone lacks).
So if my phone can do that on a pay as you go basis, unlocked and I'm able to switch** if and when I see a better deal Why get an iPhone??? And as I said mine is a cheap phone, so the more expensive Nokias, Motorollas etc. should have even more functionality, right?.
I just don't understand the hype and wish I did, so can someone tell me what's so good about the iPhone?
*cheap as in the second cheapest in the O2 shop despite that it still manages to have a stills and video camera.
**As it happens O2 have been a very good service provider and would happily recommend them to anyone. Ironically they are the company partnered with Apple here in the UK, so brand loyalty wouldn't be a problem should I wish to get an iPhone in future. -
Opera Mini doesn't read web eitherWell, I guess by some licenses and ideologies out there, a server reading the mail and presenting a HTML web page with the contents could be considered having fire fox reading email. Some versions of Opera don't read web either. Opera Mini uses a proxy server to translate HTML into something that Opera Mini can read.
-
Re:Not so good for Apple
Actually the N95 has a model with the same storage space and my choice of browser. On iTunes issue, the N95 has an integrated MP3 player; just not one branded with "i"* and on visual voice mail, there's nothing stopping you sending a video clip via MMS to achieve the same goal. So that leaves you with a better screen resolution (in addition to the earlier points); that's not certainly worth the money they're charging.
*I just have a generic MP3 player not an iPod, so iTMS is all but useless to me; yes I think that the iPod is over-hyped & and over priced for what it is as well. Why pay hundreds of pounds for an MP3 player when I can get one for under thirty? -
Re:Why?
I have not found any really compelling Java apps on my desktops (Linux and Mac OS), are there really any reasons for needing them on my phone?
J2ME is very different from desktop Java. It's one of the oldest APIs for handheld devices around, and there is a lot of stuff written for it already - tons of games, instant messengers, e-mail clients, and lots of other stuff. GMail Mobile is a J2ME application, and so is Opera Mini (granted, the latter not really needed on an iPhone or a decent smartphone, but priceless on plain Java-enabled mobiles like my Sagem my301).So, if there are native apps, why would we want Java?
Considering the above, the short answer is: to use all the stuff already available for J2ME for other platforms.Also, is my impression of Java outdated? Is it not slow, bloated (JRE + app), and have an ugly UI?
It is still relatively slow, of course (well, what do you expect from a language that forces everything onto the heap?), but it certainly works good enough for plain GUI apps, even on low-end phones (those not even considered smartphones). Apps are small. Tthe size of J2ME runtime is usually hard to tell since there are many different ones available, and which one your phone uses is not always obvious. UI is an interesting question: J2ME GUI toolkit is specifically designed so that it does not enforce any specific L&F or interaction model, and a well-written J2ME application should have native L&F on any implementation, and be fully resolution-independent. For stuff like games, it still allows them to get a fullscreen canvas and draw whatever they want on it, and interact with the keypad/keyboard and touchscreen directly. -
Re:You don't get it...Other phones don't even have real web browsers, Might not come as standard, but take a look at Opera mini and, aside from the iPhone, try and find a new phone that you *can't* install it on... There's even a version for my cheap phone, and I was looking for a phone that had as few bells and whistles as possible when I bought it.
-
Re:Not so good for AppleWhich other phones have a good web browser? Any phone you like: http://www.operamini.com/ I even have it installed on my Nokia 6070. Probably one of the lowest spec. phones you can still buy here in the UK
It was the second cheapest phone in the O2 shop when I bought it a few months ago (£30 using my old pay as you go sim) I finally upgraded when my 5yr old 3510i died. Comparing the 6070 to the iPhone, it may only have half the features but it's also only about 1\10th the Price.
If I wanted a high end phone I'd buy the N95 (IMO it actually beats the iPhone for features) and I'd get it for free as a comparison, the iPhone is £269. A touch screen (the only thing the iPhone has that others don't) certainly isn't worth £269. -
Re:What about Opera?!?
If your phone has Java support, you could also try Opera Mini. It's a different approach that uses a thin client and a proxy (so it even works on low-end phones, as long as they have Java and a data plan that allows Internet access)...and it's free, so there's no risk of a trial running out.
-
Re:Bullshit on its face
I don't have Firefox on my BB or my Sanyo 8300 cell phone but I do have Opera, Gmail, Google maps, Google earth and various IM applications. Real browsers are available and very easy to install on almost all smartphones, BB devices and cell phones, hell pretty much most devices made in the last few years with the exception of your iPhone. See http://www.operamini.com/
The lack of GPS in the iPhone is something hardcore nerds complain about so they can keep carrying their antique smart phones.
The way I see it, the lack of GPS makes people that that buy anything Apple makes claim that GPS is not needed or that it is stupid. -
Re:Opera anyone?
Opera Mini 3 is a pretty good browser. Opera Mini 4 beta looks quite nice, and makes a fairly decent attempt at copying the iPhone browser's zooming functionality*, but parts of it are painfully unstable, requiring the user to remove the battery to reset the device (this is based on my testing with both the Treo 650 and 680). I just got finished sending some feedback to the Opera team about some of my experiences with Opera Mini 4 beta:
While Opera Mini 4 beta is certainly the nicest looking free browser for the Treo, its instability makes it unbearably frustrating and practically impossible to use.
The browser frequently locks up the Treo on multiple sites, requiring the battery to be pulled. Trying to press Stop doesn't do anything, nor does waiting well over a minute for the browser to say something other than "Loading 0/x kB". This has happened numerous times when trying to access a number of different Web sites, including the following:
* When clicking on "My Opera" in the "Bookmarks..." section of the main window
* When clicking on "Yahoo!" in the "Bookmarks..." section of the main window
* When clicking on Tech Pulse Podcast (http://techpulsepodcast.blogspot.com) in the "History..." section of the main window
* When trying to click on the link to the iPhone ad in the middle of the front page of www.apple.com
Most of the time, entering an address manually (e.g. www.techpulsepodcast.com) does work.*Yes, I think it's fair to say that the Opera team copied the iPhone interface, even though Opera Mini 4 beta was released before the iPhone. Apple demoed the iPhone browser interface in January, and I don't think it's any coincidence that the new version of Opera's smartphone browser just happened to be released shortly before the launch of the iPhone and just happened to steal the double-tap zoom feature from the iPhone demo. (Not to mention the fact that Opera released an iPhone bash commercial on their site along with the new beta.)
In fairness, it's still a beta, and I think Opera can ultimately create a really good competitor to the iPhone browser if they work harder on stamping out the painfully irritating bugs. I don't have any plans to buy an iPhone, and I think my Treo is great... but it sure would be nice to have a good Web browser on it.
I've talked a bit more about Opera Mini 4 beta vs. the iPhone on the Tech Pulse podcast.
-
Re:IPhone Revolution?Installing applications will probably not be just a matter of point and click on a standard phone either. Installing third party software is a matter of point and click on a standard phone, if you haven't got an old relic of a phone that doesn't support MIDP.
It goes like this:
1. Use standard broser to download an application you like, for instance Wayfinder Earth or Opera Mini
2. Copy the application to your SD or MS-card, if your phone support those, or connect your phone to your pc via USB, IR, Bluetooth or serial and install it using the application-installer supplied by the producer of your phone, whatever works best for you.
You still need to know how to open a web page in a browser and click a hyperlink and then either copy a file onto your SD/MS-card or how to put the cd that came with your phone in the cd-player and press "Install", plug a cable into the computer, start an application in windows and how to read buttons like one labled "Install" and then choose a file in a file-selector.
Still, there is no magic or any hacks involved.
All steps are done by "Point and click".
You also have the alternative of using the existing WAP-browser on your phone to install directly over the air, but that means you have to know how to enter a web-adress into a textfield on your phone and how to click a hyperlink in your WAP-browser.
Not "Point and click", unless you've got a smartphone with a stylus/touchscreen. -
Opera Mini makes EDGE/GRPS faster by compression
If you want faster surfing on EDGE or GPRS, get Opera Mini. It slims down the HTML and graphics substantially before it gets to your phone. It breathed new life into my Sony Ericsson P910 (GPRS only), making it faster in use than Pocket Explorer my wife's EDGE phone with the AT&T network. The inability to use alternatives like Opera Mini is part of why I'm not as excited about the iPhone as I thought it would be.
-
Re:Apple thinks I shouldn't, so why should I?
Opera Mini vs. iPhone is my favorite iPhone video.
Seriously, though, I don't have a cellphone, but this doesn't look like it's Watered Down to me. -
Re:Apple thinks I shouldn't, so why should I?
Opera Mini vs. iPhone is my favorite iPhone video.
Seriously, though, I don't have a cellphone, but this doesn't look like it's Watered Down to me. -
Meanwhile, there's Opera Mini
Two days ago, Opera released Opera Mini 4 beta. The story didn't make it through Firehose, tho I have no doubts that a v0.01 bump to Firefox or Minimo would immediately get posted on the front page. News about the new Opera Mini have appeared on just about every single tech site, but not Slashdot.
Yes, I know this comment is offtopic. Who cares. -
Re:They need special tools
Anyway, after noticing the cell phone accesses, I went looking to see if there was anything I needed to know or do different (I was hoping NOT) and if it was going to be worth it. I didn't find any information at all (regarding anything notable needed for cell phone access) when searching at google
The trick is to look for "mobile" or "handheld" (which is the relevant CSS media) not "cell phone." Some useful references on this topic include Making Small Devices Look Great at Dev.Opera and Pocket-sized Design at A List Apart.
Opera conveniently makes it easy to test Opera Mini (their Java-based browser for cell phones): There's a live demo which just embeds it as an applet. Unfortunately, the last time I went looking I couldn't find much in the way of resources for testing other phones' browsers.
-
Re:I dunno...
> Blazer just stinks, and I've practically given up on even bothering to use real websites with it, instead using WAP versions of sites when I can.
Opera Mini is your friend. -
Re:I hope the advertisers have small sites...
Slashdot has slashdot.org/palm for small displays.
And it still looks terrible on a Treo 700p using the Blazer browser that comes with the phone!
Opera Mini helps make Slashdot on a Treo much more bearable.
-
Re:Opera 3 on a Treo 700p is HORRIBLE
The reported issues with Opera Mini 3.0 running on Palm Treos have now been fixed, and a new build (.prc file) that works better is now available at http://www.operamini.com/.
Please download the new build and give it a go!
Johan Schön, Opera Software -
Re:Opera Mini == spyware ?
I'm guessing someone didn't read on Opera's website about how Opera Mini actually works. They do have to use a proxy:
Mini technology Opera Mini uses a remote server to pre-process Web pages before sending them to your phone. Web content is compressed to reduce the size of data transferred, enabling handling on simpler phones and creating fast browsing at low costs. http://www.operamini.com/features/ -
Re:OTA Install?
If you visit http://www.operamini.com/ on your blackberry it automatically detects your device type and gives you a download option. It recommended Opera Mini - International for me, but it was easy to switch that to Opera Mini - US.