Opera Mini browser goes native on Windows Mobile 5 & 6 handsets

Opera said the new native browser dramatically improves performance and overall user experience. While Opera Mini traditionally requires Java, the new Windows Mobile version does not, which means that Opera Mini will work on any Windows Mobile phone.

The free to download Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile includes the same feature set as the Java version, including tabbed browsing, the password manager, bookmarks and Speed Dial.

Opera Mini's compresses data traffic by up to 90%, resulting in significantly improved page-loading and speed, according to Opera. This results in a dramatically reduced data load, which can translate to lower browsing costs when on a pay-per-MB data plan or when on expensive roaming.

'Windows Mobile deserves a mobile browser that looks better, handles better and delivers better than the default browser,' said Dag Olav Norem, VP of products for Opera Software. 'Even though Opera has 50 million satisfied Opera Mini users, we always seek ways to improve our browser for each and every mobile phone user out there. Now, we are pleased to offer the world's most popular mobile Web browser as a native Windows Mobile application.'

Windows Mobile 5 and 6 users can download Opera Mini directly to their phone for free from m.opera.com/next/.