Opera Mini 5 Beta is here and it’s hot

Opera is one of the oldest company making browsers and their products have developed passion among fans, one of those appreciated pieces of software being Opera Mini, about which I’ve wrote a post some time ago. Now Opera Mini has reached version 5 Beta and is available for download starting today. To install it you just have to open m.opera.com/next from your mobile web browser and follow the instructions.

What’s new in Opera Mini 5 Beta

Opera Mini Beta 5 on Blackberry Storm

There are a few things changed from the older version, new function and a big change in interface, that now looks more like 2009 and makes Opera Mini one of the best looking mobile browsers around. Practically, Opera just borrowed some of the top features of its bigger Mobile version and desktop client like tabbed browsing, customizable speed dial for preferred bookmarks, touch and keypad versions for both smartphones with or without touchscreen and password manager.

What seems to be missing in this version is the Opera Link feature that integrates with an Opera account which allows for bookmark synchronization between multiple Opera browser installations, no matter what version. Maybe this is only true for the Beta version or it’s just me unable to find it.

Opera Mini Beta 5 short video presentation

Note: I’ve installed Opera Mini 5 on my Symbian Nokia E71 and it seems that it works without issues. General feel is that the interface is a little more resource consuming and it’s more sluggish than the previous versions, but let’s not forget we’re talking about a Beta version here.

On the other hand pages load as fast as in previous Opera Mini’s and complex websites seem to look as neat as on desktop versions.