Opera Mini 5 beta comes to the Google Android platform

A great thing about having a rather open device like the Google Nexus One is that you have a lot of choices when it comes to software. Today, we see the launch of another alternative web browser that I have spent a few hours using on my Nexus One. Opera announced Opera Mini 5 for the Google Android platform this morning. Opera has two mobile browsing solutions, Opera Mini and Opera Mobile, with Opera Mini being a server-based solution that gives you a very fast and cost/data efficient browser. There are currently over 50 million users of Opera Mini across a broad spectrum of mobile devices and this Android version is just the latest.

I was sent an early preview of this browser solution and am very pleased with its performance and capabilities. As I have mentioned before, I particularly like the Opera Link feature that lets me sync my bookmarks across desktop web browser and mobile devices for a consistent web browsing experience. You will find Opera Mini 5 on Android supporting Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, password manager, full screen browsing, and more. It looks and performs very well on the large AMOLED display of the Nexus One and is great to have when you are surfing on an EDGE connection like I often do on my trips to Alaska.

You can find this latest version of Opera Mini in the Android Market or point your default Android web browser to m.opera.com/next to get it.