Friday, September 18, 2009

Opera Mini 5 beta

Opera Mini
The new version of Opera Mini is here. I have only tested it for 3 hours, but my initial thoughts are not 100% favourable.

Some problems below which didn't appear in Opera Mini 4.2 (hope to resolve them soon)
  1. Entering passwords. The new version does not show the character briefly before showing an asterisk when you press a key. It just shows asterisks. This is problematic, as you have to "guess" if you've pressed the right key.
  2. The shortcut keys have changed. Normally, pressing '#' then '2' brings up the bookmarks, but here it opens the search field.
  3. The menu is not easily accessible. I need to press at least 3 keys to get to it.
  4. Where is the Page Down? One of the most valuable feature of Opera Mini is the ability to page down using the right D-pad key. This is great in mobile view where everything is on 1 column, and there is no need to scroll left or right. Mobile view on the new version does not allow for this.
New features
  1. Search within page is good. The new find function is great, and is "search as you type".
  2. Tabbed browsing. Works quite well, with screens changing quickly when you toggle tabs.
  3. Copy and paste (and search). Press and hold the main center button for a few seconds and it will show up a dialog, "Select Text". Then move the cursor to your start point and press the left soft key. Move using the D-pad to select the text. Then press the left soft key again. Pop up dialog will have 3 options, Copy, Search, and Search With.
I suspect part of the problem is caused by a GUI slanted more towards touchscreen phones... Now to find the feedback forums...

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