The first public beta of Opera Mobile 9.5 has finally arrived. Some of the new features:
- Speed tests show Opera Mobile 9.5 beta loads Web pages 2.5 times faster than Internet Explorer Mobile
- Opera Mobile 9.5 defaults to full Web page viewing and allows users to pan and zoom into their desired content in just a few clicks
- With a click, simply save your selected content and view it later offline
- Multitask with tabbed browsing, view content in widescreen, and enjoy small-screen rendering
- Browse with the full richness of AJAX
- Save time with address auto-complete and Password Manager
- Upload to Web sites such as online mail services or blogs
A more complete list of features can be found here.
Be warned, however, that this beta is for Windows Mobile / Pocket PC touchscreen devices only. Non-touchscreen Windows Mobile and Symbian users are out of luck. The Opera Mobile blog reports they are “planning to add compatibility for non-touchscreen phones in the future.” The Mobile team has already promised a Symbian version.
Keep in mind this is beta software: “This release is intended for developers and advanced users. It may cause data loss or other unintended actions.”
And be sure to check out the “Reviewer’s Guide to Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta,” which looks excellent!
Download Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta
From the Opera Mobile blog:
A release testing phase is underway now and the target date for the first beta is July 15th. You will be able to download it from opera.com just like you would any other versions of Opera.
Some versions of Opera Mobile 9.5 are already shipping on great phones like the HTC Touch Diamond, and some of you have asked why we wouldn’t be able to release it publically yet. As you probably know, releasing a version that works on a large variety of phones is more complex than making it work on one specific phone. You should also expect a few differences between the versions that are pre-installed on phones and the public version of Opera Mobile 9.5.
Stay tuned to Opera Watch and the official Opera Mobile blog for further information and details!
Edit (7 July): This just in from the Opera Mobile devs:
After we announced last week that the first beta was expected on July 15th, many of you asked if we would offer a Symbian version. We will offer a Symbian version of Opera Mobile, but you will have to wait a while. We do not yet know when the Symbian version will be ready because development and quality assurance on mobile devices is time consuming.
Edit (15 July): Beta release is now pushed back to July 17…
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