Opera Mini

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I’ve been playing around with Opera Mini. If you haven’t heard yet, Opera Software ASA has released a Java ME (J2ME) version of their browser called Opera-Mini. Opera is the Norwegian company who make the browser of the same name for many platforms. All their browsers have a technology they call small screen rendering™ which reformats full desktop web pages for display on tiny phone screens. The reformatting works remarkably well – although reformatted pages aren’t likely to be as easy to navigate as well designed mobile pages.

The Java ME part means that you don’t need a smartphone to run Opera anymore. Most phones made in the last three years support some version of Java ME (which was called J2ME until Sun renamed it this year). Non-Smartphones generally don’t have the processor power and RAM to do all the manipulation that is required to implement small-screen rendering. Opera Mini gets around this by doing the reformatting as a web service, the Opera server resizes images and optimizes the page for the phones screen size and then compresses the resulting mobile page into some sort of binary code which the Java ME app on the phone can easily render. The result is that pages load quickly even on old slow phones. This also means that Opera can easily start charging and shut the service off for anyone who doesn’t want to pay the price. But for now at least it is completely free.

Opera Mini won’t run on every Java ME phone, there are a lot of incompatibilities between Java Me implementations but I believe it will run on the majority of them.

By now you are probably asking, “how much?” and “how can I get Opera Mini on my phone?” The good news is that for now at least, Opera Mini is free. The bad news is that it is only officially available in Norway. You can read about it on the official Opera Mini page. Fortunately for all of us, who don’t live in Norway, the application has been “liberated” and can be downloaded from a number of sites on the web. The legality of these copies is, of course questionable although a mainstrean Palm site is among the many places you can find the download. If you want to try it yourself, be aware that there are two flavors of Opera Mini, “lo-fi” and “hi-fi”. The differences between the two are that lo-fi is MIDP1.0, essentially the first version of, Java ME and hi-fi is the latest version MIDP 2.0. MIDP 2.0 is backward compatible to MIDP1 so if hi-fi doesn’t work on your phone be sure to try lo-fi. Opera has a list of supported phones by version but I don’t know how accurate it is, as it doesn’t work on my Moto i50sx which is on the supported list. The only apparent difference in features is that hi-fi adds font- smoothing and the fonts do look a little nicer, although the lo-fi fonts aren’t bad at all.

Opera Mini has been confirmed on various web sites to work on SE K750, S710, w800, Nokia 6100, 6320, Motorola V330, Razr V3, Palm Tungsten C, Treo 600, Treo 650, Tungsten T3, Zire 72, Lifedrive, Sony Clie TH55-U, UX-50. Palm OS users need to first install a KVM (Java ME virtual machine) from IBM or Palm.

Here are images of MSN, Yahoo, HowardForums and Flickr’s web sites as they appear in Opera:
MSN imageYahoo imageHowardForums imageFlickr image

Here are some sites with information on downloading and configuring Opera Mini
Opera Mini Help, Opera Watch Thread, Howard Forums Thread, Engadget thread

Opera Mini download links:
These first four are a slightly later version (1.0.1520 v 1.0.1479) then I’ve found anywhere else although I don’t see a difference in functionality between versions. If you phone supports installing Java ME midlets OTA you should just need to point your browser at the JAD file. If you are ‘side-loading’ from your PC via bluetooth or cable you will need both the JAD and it’s matching JAR.
Lo-fi JAD Lo-Fi JAR
Hi-Fi JAD Hi-Fi JAR

An alternate source which has all the files as a .RAR archive and also individually but they are the older version: Bluemonkey.org

Finally, a link to a Treo compatable .PRC file (free registration required to download)
MyTreo.net

222 thoughts on “Opera Mini”

  1. When i installed opera mini 3 & 4 on my nokia 6070,the internet settings failed showing that appllication data can not be access and allowed

  3. I have tried so many version of Opera mini on my phone(6070). None of the versions works on my phone. Pls i need the right settings for NOKIA 6O70. Pls help me. You can mail me on [email removed]. Pls

  6. guys im using Nokia N70 alrady download the opera mini 4.2 but it does not work on myphone its failed.. i browse to nokia.com but i cant find it… please help me to activate it please…

  11. I am airtel online subscriber…when i into operamini it always showing failed to connect internet…

  12. @Bunmi F.,

    Did you change anything (new version or reinstal of Opera Mini, firmware update, etc.) What are you trying to download (.mp3, .jad, .jar, etc.)? Does downloading fail in both the built in browser and Opera Mini or just in Opera Mini?

  13. I can download b/f on opera mini & my phone configured MTN browser, but now! I can’t download with no response from server or page can’t be found.pls help me! I love opera mini . thanks

  16. @Mia,

    The settings for the built browser and java applications are different. Just because one works doesn’t mean the other will. MTN uses a proxy and there is no way to set that up manually of a S40 phone like the 6070. They have to be sent in an SMS. Call MTN and asks them to send the “INTERNET settings for using Java Apps like Opera Mini” to your phone.

    If MTN can’t or won’t help, Nokia.com can also send the settings
    Here is the direct URL:
    https://nokiags.wdsglobal.com/standardInternet?phoneId=1182&countryId=133&bearerId=5&contractId=191&captchaEnabled=true&locale=en_US&siteLanguageId=118&step=network.vm&networkId=502

    Go there and follow the instructions to send the settings to your phone.

    If that URL gives you an error (Nokia sometimes blocks deep links), start at Nokia.com and choose Africa > Nigeria > Get Support and Software > Select 6070 from the phone model drop down > click Order Settings > Download Standard Settings > Accept the T&C > click “Start” > choose the phone model (6070) > Internet > Nigeria > MTN > enter your phone number and the captcha > order settings.

    You can download Opera Mini 2 from:
    http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=221224 but it’s not as good as 3 or 4 and Opera Mini 2 won’t work if 3 and 4 don’t. The problem is your settings not Opera Mini.

  17. D thing is dat i hav downloaded om4 and om3 to my phone. Now when am runin d app, dat’s when it’ll go on instalin til @100% and say ‘faild 2 conect.pls cntct serv provida 4 stupid intanet setins’ what kind of thin is dat when i can already browse? Anyway i heard dere’s om2.wher cn i get dat? And by d way i read ur blog.and i visited my service provider(MTN) homepage http://www.mtnonline.com whr dere’s no help.so i visited nokia.com to my region Africa.no help either. Whr cn i get om2. Dat may work.pls help.mery xmas

  19. My phone is nokia 6070. I downloaded opera 4 to my phone & as it was instaling it pausd saying some anoyin crap like ‘faild 2 instal pls contact ur service provider 4 setins’ same thing wit d 3 ver. Pls help me.thnks

  20. I use a 6030 nokia ph0ne. Then my opera mini n0t w0rking its say that my p0cket data not connect. What is the way to connect my opera mini now?? Help me plz!!!

  21. i need safaricom GPRS/MMS settings.also i am unable to download mini opera 4.1 .my phone type is nokia 5300.

  22. hi boby you cannot download coz’s ur phone setting is not up dated by ur network provider. first call the costumer services and tell that u cannot cennect to the internet.

  24. i am using nokia company phone that is ngage qd,i want to connect gprs on my mobile from opera mini

  25. Hi. Kindly assist me connect my phone to the free opera internet browser. Am in Kenya. My phone is Chinese. Model is c2000. Company is Bai Xing.

  26. i use moto l6i ,use idea network.although opera mini worked only first time.After that,”FAILED TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET”.
    witout tempering with the gprs settings

  27. sichalwe,

    I don’t have that problem and don’t really have an answer.

    But AFAIK, the only difference between OM3 and OM4 in the way they connect is that OM3 uses a numeric IP address to reach the Opera Mini proxy server while OM4 uses a domain name. This means that if your provider’s DNS is not resolving the name of the Opera proxy you will get a connection error with OM4 but OM3 will still work. You can try adding a DNS to your access point configuration (make note of the old one so you can set it back if this doesn’t work or breaks something else!)

    There are several threads about this on the Opera Mini forum, including the following tips from http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=216258

    KPbICMAH wrote:
    “Anyway, after the ISP’s DNS server went nuts again last night, not resolving any of the Opera addresses (preventing me from using Opera altogether), I figured a workaround – entered 199.7.83.42 (IP address for one of the root DNS servers on the Internet) as the primary DNS address, and that worked well. I even uninstalled Opera Mini and downloaded it from the WAP site again. The registration went through straight away, so I am happy again. Strangely, this trick didn’t help my friend with E50, so I am still investigating…

    …

    grawity added;
    “The central OM server is server4.operamini.com, and if it’s down, ManneS or TheAtilla or others would notify us. If in ‘access point’ config you need to enter DNS servers, you can try these:
    OpenDNS
    primary: 208.67.222.222
    secondary: 208.67.220.220”

    Also see my post Solving Opera Mini Connection Problems for some general information sorts of problems.

  28. I use motorola l6i and have installed opera mini version 3 but i have failed to install version 4 although it worked at first without tempering with my GPRS settings.So i still wonder who is 2 blame 4 this (answer me)

  29. Raj, Deepak and Khan,

    Please see my post “Solving Opera Mini Connection Problems“. It explains how to get the settings sent to your phone by your operator or Nokia and should help you to get Opera working.

    The data settings you need are operator dependent, I have no idea what they are for your operator.

    Dennis

  30. I m using nokia 6070 and i m unable to use opera. Please mail me its settings. Its give an network setup problem

  31. I hav downloaded opera mini on my mobile,but it is not working,it says contact your service provider for internet settings

  33. Hi, i am using nokia 6080. And i have problem in connection in opera mini. I have using airtel nop service. Please help me. Tell me all about of connection setting.

  35. operamini is no longer working on my l6i phone. please advise. my gprs settings are okay because i can browse through google or safaricom gprs but not through opera anymore. it was previously working.

  41. hi i have sony clie pda nx80/v i have trying since one year to insstall ibm java vm on it but no luck many applications demand ibm java to run including opera mini.please can u help me find it or a easy alternate

  43. how to configure opera mini on motorola v188 phone…i have a working GPRS connection. And already installed the opera mini…

    Thanks in advance….

  45. SafaricomGPRS
    Send me the config setting for nokia 6070 my phone no {number deleted}

  48. hi !
    opera is not working on wap site its dosen’t support any kind of downloading plz plz maile me and tell me with the link of that wap j2me browser which support downloading thanks bye bye

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