APP OF THE DAY: Opera Mini 6 (iPhone/iPad)
Opera’s Mini 6 web browser has now touched down for iOS devices. Following in the footsteps of versions released earlier in the year for Android, BlackBerry and Symbian devices, it’s the best Safari alternative on the App Store.
“I would compare [Opera Mini 6] to walking onto the stage and hearing the roar of the crowd,” said Opera CEO Lars Boilesen.
“We have put in a lot of rehearsal and clever thought behind the new experience. The Opera Mini browser has always kicked up the tempo when downloading pages; now the browsing flows along to a smooth, easy beat.”
Forced musical comparisons aside, Opera Mini 6 can be a particularly useful alternative to iOS’s built-in Safari browser for a few reasons. Whereas Opera’s Mobile browser offers full-fat web pages optimised for mobile browsing, the Opera Mini browser compresses pages before piping them to your tablet or phone. In other words, those micro-managing data costs while 3G browsing should see their download limits stretch a little further when it comes to web surfing.
It also leads to zippy page loads, smooth zooming and swiping, all wrapped in a “jazed-up” skin that makes menu’s easy to navigate and includes dedicated share buttons for My Opera, Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to grab the app for free.
