[havanese]

New to the BB 8830 phone. I noticed that many people on the forum use Opera mini.

I downloaded it and have been using both the BB browser and Opera.

So far I don't see any advantages to the Opera Mini. When I compare websites most of the time it seems to render better in BB than in Opera.

What am I Missing?

[gibber9583]

opera mini renders full html sites much better than the BB browser. If you are just visiting your typical WAP site, then there isnt really a whole lot of different. Also, some people prefer the navigation on opera better.

[theBorg]

Wirelessly posted (7100t: BlackBerry7100/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I haven't used the latest BB browsers bit comparing it to my 4.0 browser:

OM has a cache! Going back and forward is instantaneous. This is huge.

Screen navigation in OM 4 beta is pretty slick. Esp the zoom feature.

Bookmark and search navigation is a bit more advanced in OM.

OM has smart keyboard shortcuts.

BB browser must n be used for downloads and OTA software installation.

I think OM renders pages in a more useful and intuitive way.

[havanese]

I see the shortcuts for OM 3..but when you see "menu" or "back" in the red area at the bottom of the screen - what keys allow you to select to commands?

Second question. Can you run OM 4beta and OM 3 on the same phone and is it stable enough to be worth my time.

[theBorg]

Wirelessly posted (7100t: BlackBerry7100/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

I haven't used the latest BB browsers bit comparing it to my 4.0 browser:

OM has a cache! Going back and forward is instantaneous. This is huge.

Screen navigation in OM 4 beta is pretty slick. Esp the zoom feature.

Bookmark and search navigation is a bit more advanced in OM.

OM has smart keyboard shortcuts.

BB browser must n be used for downloads and OTA software installation.

I think OM renders pages in a more useful and intuitive way.

[theBorg]

Wirelessly posted (7100t: BlackBerry7100/4.0.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Whatever keys are right below the menu text. On the 7100 it's qw and op.

Yes. You can run 3 and 4b side by side.

[akosnitzky]

Is it a big adjustment? It seems that I will still use both, or do you some people just use the bb browser for OTA.

[pacman777]

I have a BB8830 on Sprint, and downloaded the Operamini 3.1. For some reason, I can't select using the roller-ball. I have to hit "enter" on the keyboard to select anything. Very annoying. The roller-ball works fine, but the program seems to ignore the click feature of the roller-ball. It wouldn't even let download OM 4.0 saying it wasn't compatible with my device.

[akosnitzky]

I had installed 3.1 and have just deleted it. I did not see the user friendliness that others mentioned. It seemed difficult to navigate and I also had trouble with the trackball. I will stick with the bb browser for now.

[theBorg]

Yeah, it definitely takes a bit of getting used to.

@pacman, you have to download from the BB browser. i suspect the newer BB browsers' emulation can confuse the download site.

[takeshi]

Personally, I can't stand OM's interface. Definitely give it a spin though.

[Dawg]

Originally Posted by takeshi

Personally, I can't stand OM's interface. Definitely give it a spin though.

I feel the same way I have tried the beta and the released version and just didnt like either of them at all

[AnthroMatt]

Originally Posted by takeshi

Personally, I can't stand OM's interface. Definitely give it a spin though.

I agree as well...and I am in no mood to have to re-enter every bookmark.

[LithiumNitrate]

which OM version (3.1.2) is better to download, the high memory version or low memory version? and if you don't like it, is it difficult to uninstall?

[theBorg]

Hmm. I didn't even know there were high and low memory versions. Do you mean full Opera vs. Opera Mini?

Most, if not all, applications are easy to uninstall. Just go to options->settings->applications, highlight the app and delete. OM uninstalls cleanly.

[AnthroMatt]

As I understood it, the high memory version is for phones like BB's, Treos, Symbian devices, etc, while the low memory version was geared toward "regular" devices.

[theBorg]

Definitely get the one targeted at BBs then. It's great.

Man, the Gator cult is taking over the whole country! Everywhere I look I see Gator fans.

[UCLAKoolman]

I use OM 3.1 for the websites I view the most... mostly blogs like wikipedia, engadget, joystiq, thesuperficial, etc. It is incredibly annoying that the program switches to another screen every text is entered on a website. Having the bookmarks on the home page is great, and having a quick-search for wikipedia is also awesome. But do they really need a 'yahoo' search bar (google?????)? I love the cache too, for I'm constantly going back and forth through pages.

OM 4.0b is very pretty and smooth, but sometimes has trouble loading enitre websites or images properly. If they tweak this for the final version, it will most likely become my favorite browser. The browser keeps websites looking the way they would on a computer screen, and you quickly zoom in on the parts you want to read up close. The program tries to be "smart" too, and automatically centers in on text, then adjusts the text so that it fits across your screen (and makes it double-spaced... for easier reading?). Right now I use it to check pages that are made awkward by resizing. It loads blackberryforums.com, imdb.com, and myspace (facebook too) perfectly. Many people here will not care about this, but just having the 4.0b gives you that "my phone can do everything the iphone does and more" street cred. Sadly, they took off the wikipedia search bar on the main menu :( Also, though I don't know the technical reasons for this, but I've heard that it is not wise to use this browser for any websites that ask for your private information.

Nobody mentioned this, but a large annoyance with the BB browser is that it automatically loads RSS feeds on webpages that have them. Most of the time it wont let you switch back to the actual website. This sometimes cripples key links that you'd want to use, such as comments or pictures. The Opera browsers both attempt to load the original websites. If an RSS feed is available, the link for it is usually at the top of the screen. The only other time I've ever used the BB browser is to see if I can view a higher resolution image on websites.

It won't hurt your phone to have all 3 browsers. I keep them all right next to one another.

[LithiumNitrate]

the 4.0b sounds good. i'll have to try it.

probably no question i'll like OM. Firefox was my favorite PC browser until i tried Opera. after that i forgot all about firefox.

[LithiumNitrate]

wtf is this? is this true? (from Opera Mini site)
__________________________________________________ _____________

Note to North-American users:

Opera Mini is available to all Sprint and Cingular customers. Availability for T-Mobile customers is dependent on the subscription plan. BREW-enabled phones, including Verizon, are currently not supported.