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21-Feb-2012\u00a0<\/strong>Opera Software\u00a0released<\/a>\u00a0an\u00a0official Opera Mobile build for the Nokia N9 and N950 Harmattan phones. \u00a0It’s\u00a0available from the Nokia Store<\/a>\u00a0or as a\u00a0deb packag<\/a>e download from Opera. Installing the modified version as described below is no longer necessary or\u00a0recommended.<\/p>\n

31-Jan-2012 Updated post with working download link.\u00a0<\/strong>I like the N9 Browser (see my review<\/a>). It’s fast and has great HTML5 support. \u00a0But I’m a browser junkie and have to try every browser I can find. \u00a0When I discovered a version of Opera Mobile 11.0 for MeeGo\/Harmattan on my-meego.com<\/a> I knew I had to install it on my N9 review unit from NokiaConnects<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It turns out that Opera for the N9\/N950 isn’t an official Opera Software release. It’s \u00a0a third party repackaging of the Opera Labs “developer preview<\/a>” for\u00a0MeeGo Comunity Edition<\/a> (CE) on the Nokia N900. MeeGo CE uses the .rpm application package format rather than MeeGo\/Harmattan’s .deb so Opera’s build won’t install on the N9 without modification. \u00a0A couple of developers named XeN<\/a> and sandst1<\/a>\u00a0have extracted the contents of Opera’s .rpm and repackaged them as a .deb which is what is available on my-meego.com.<\/p>\n

The repackaged .deb isn’t fully compatible with MeeGo\/Harmattan’s installer so some extra steps are needed to get Opera Mobile running on the N9. Here’s what you need to do:<\/p>\n

Download Opera Mobile<\/strong>. \u00a0The links on my-meego.com<\/a> and sandst1<\/a>‘s blog point to\u00a0hotfile.com\/dl\/125308477\/580c6be\/operamobile_11.00-1_armel.deb.html<\/a>.\u00a0Hotfile.com is one of\u00a0those\u00a0non-mobile friendly free file sharing sites with a countdown timer and a captcha. \u00a0It is possible to download the file using the N9’s browser but it’s easier to download it to a PC and transfer it to the N9 over USB.<\/del>\u00a0 Update 31-Jan-2012<\/strong>: The Hotfile link isn’t working anymore. \u00a0You can download my copy of the file from here<\/a>.\u00a0The instructions below assume that the file is saved in the N9’s\u00a0default\u00a0download directory, \u00a0\/home\/user\/MyDocs\/Downloads<\/em>\u00a0 (which appears as \/MyDocs\/Downloads<\/em> on a USB connected PC).<\/p>\n

Unlike most N9 app .deb files, Opera Mobile can’t be installed automatically with the browser or by clicking on it in a file manager. You need to enable developer mode and install it using the dpkg command in the terminal as the root user. \u00a0Thanks to Meego\/Harmattan’s openness that’s easy. Here’s how:<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

Enable Developer Mode:\u00a0<\/strong>Go to Settings > Security \u00a0> Developer Mode<\/em> and slide the developer mode toggle to the on\u00a0position. \u00a0Take note of and accept the warning. The first time you enable developer mode the N9 will download some files (so you need a network connection) and reboot.<\/p>\n

Launch the Terminal:<\/strong> When Developer Mode is enabled, a Terminal icon appears on the N9’s Applications home screen (image below, left). \u00a0Tap it to launch the terminal.<\/p>\n

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Become root (superuser):<\/strong>\u00a0The command to become root in Meego\/Harmattan is “devel-su”. The default password is “rootme”. So type the following:
\ndevel-su<\/strong><\/em>
\nPassword:\u00a0rootme\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe shell prompt will change from $ to # to indicate that your are now the root user.<\/p>\n

Change to the download\u00a0directory:\u00a0<\/strong>Type:
\ncd \/home\/user\/MyDocs\/Downloads<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Install the Opera mobile package: <\/strong>Type:
\ndpkg – i operamobile*<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe install only takes a few seconds. \u00a0A bunch of messages will fly\u00a0across\u00a0the screen. When the # prompt returns the install is complete and you can exit the terminal, turn off developer mode and launch Opera Mobile.<\/p>\n

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Uninstalling Opera Mobile: <\/strong>You can’t remove Opera the normal way in Settings > Applications<\/em>. \u00a0Instead you need to use dpkg in the terminal.\u00a0After enabling Developer Mode and becoming root in the terminal type:<\/p>\n

dpkg -r operamobile<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhich uninstalls Opera but leaves settings, bookmarks etc., intact so they will be available if you ever re-install. \u00a0If you want to remove Opera completely use dpkg -P<\/strong><\/em>. which purges all traces of Opera from the system by typing in the terminal as root.
\ndpkg -P operamobile<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a video showing the full installation process along with a demo of Opera Mobile in action on the N9.<\/p>\n