Pocket PC version of Famous Web Browser, Opera 8.5 beta Officially Released!
By Werner Ruotsalainen, Submitted Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Topics:
http://opera.com/products/mobile/products/winmobileppc/
Please note that the review below only concerns the WM2003(SE) version of Opera. The WM5 version seems to be orders of magnitude more stable (this is what I haven't taken into account when writing the first version of the review). I'm still doing tests with the help of my newly acquired Dell Axim x51v; the results, so far, are excellent. Will post the whole story and updates tomorrow. OK, you can find the WM5 review here. Opera is a well-known desktop browser. The Pocket PC community has long been waiting for the Pocket PC version, which has, at last, been released, not only for WM5, but also for the older WM2003 and WM2003SE operating systems. (It's not compatible with PPC2k/PPC2k2.) We've waited for Opera with very high expectations. Does the beta version fulfill them? Read on... In a few words (before the detailed review) I've thoroughly tested the browser and have to say that it's (still) too buggy and featureless to use. I do NOT recommend it at this beta stage – it will most likely only cause you a lot of headache. Even the current version (0.012) of Minimo (see this blog entry for a review) is more reliable. NetFront 3.3 TP 1.03 (see this blog entry for a review) is orders of magnitude better, more stable and much more featureful, albeit indeed definitely slower. Yes, speed is the strongest point of Opera. If you only visit web pages that it can render (that is, doesn't crash at), it can be a very good choice. If you, on the other hand, want a generic browser that you can safely throw any Web page at, stick to some other browser - for example, NetFront 3.3. Note that I've emphasized at this beta stage. Opera for PPC may become a 'killer' Pocket PC Web browser one day. This particular beta version is, however, compatibility-wise, far from perfect and is particularly bug-ridden. It's the current beta version, not later versions, that I don't recommend to be used as a generic Web browser just to surf the net. I'll review later versions too when they become available. A more detailed review First, the pros and cons of the browser and then, some installation/compatibility tips and explicit JavaScript compliance tests. Pros:- very fast page loading (if it works with the page you'd like to see, that is)
- working load progress meter (unique with pre-WM5 browsers)
- working pop-up blocker (only NF 3.3 supports the same, as far as alternative PPC browsers are concerned)
- zooming
- download manager (it's unique! See for example this article (alternatives: PPCT, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand) on the importance of this feature.)
- working Fit to Screen; table rendering-wise, much better than the Pocket Internet Explorer (PIE) One Column mode; equally good than that of NetFront (NF).
- really buggy and unreliable! For example, can't switch between test pages in DPReview digicam reviews (using the drop-down list or the arrows around it); crashes at Yahoo Mail (upon clicking the Inbox link) etc. – its fully usable alternatives (Minimo 0.012, NF 3.3 TP1.03) are much better in this respect
- tabbing (multipage) support is very weak - it takes several taps to switch between tabs, unlike on all the alternatives
- no proxy support; no HTTP User-Agent change support; local file cache will always go to RAM and can't be relocated
- problems mainly with VPN connections; several users have reported other kinds of problems
- it uses the non-proportional Courier New font on many pages (see for example the Betfair page or DPReview). Font not changeable.
- horizontal scrollbar (if you don't like the 'fit to screen' mode) is often hidden by the progress bar; then, you can only use the D-pad to scroll to the left/right or click the Stop icon
- no subtleties like 'Copy link' or Save image in the link/image context menus (unlike with all PIE plug-ins / NF 3.3); no in-page text search (unlike in NetFront/Minimo)
- no real Full Screen (scrollbars can't be hidden) unlike in PIEPlus/MultiIE; no dragging mode, unlike in NetFront/ MultiIE
- no page saving capabilities unlike in all PIE plug-ins and NF
- no configurable keys unlike, say, in MultiIE/ftxPBrowser.
- unlike most alternative browsers, it doesn't support clipboard operations (cut/paste) and Select All in text input fields via standard SIP keyboard/external keyboards, only via tap-and-hold, which is slower than just pressing the Cut/Paste/Select All hotkeys.
- no built-in support for exiting the app. The traditional Ctrl-Q works as with killing the process from a process handler like the built-in one, but they both take more taps than an Exit in a menu.
- very few things to set/fine-tune in the settings. Its settings dialogs are as weak as those of PIE: this and this.
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Yup, it's great if you need speed - but, IMHO, not if you need compatibility with almost all Web pages (that's what, say, NetFront, or, to a lesser extent, Minimo offer) or stuff like link copy/image or page saving/proper rendering using proportional fonts.
Yup, it's still a beta. Hope the Opera staff whill have ironed out the bugs (and, hopefully, added some real additional functionality like link copy, page save, image save, no-scrollbar full screen mode, ability to change fonts etc) by the time it's released as final.
Well, you're right in that it's a beta and the final version shouldn't be judged based on the bugs / missing functionality - this is what I've also emphasized in the review.
Still, I think comparing it to other, also beta-stage products (Minimo 0.012 and NetFront 3.3 TP1.03 - I'm comparing Opera to these two browsers) is fair because they are also beta. NetFront has far less bugs, and, speed issues aside (I have emphasized in the review that Opera is by far the fastest browser with pages that it can load and doesn't crash/stop at), in general, is far more usable on the Pocket PC for generic browsing, because of sheer compatibility and bug-freeness. Furthermore, the additional stuff NetFront (or, to a lesser degree, Minimo - or, for that matter, any PIE plug-in) offer is just not comparable to that of the current beta of Opera. The latter really lacks basic stuff like proxy setting, User-Agent rewritability, link copy, search within a page or a decent, no-tab/no-addressbar full screen mode etc.
I do hope that the final Opera release will indeed be bug-free and will have more 'goodies'. This beta isn't and it's only this beta that I don't recommend for generic use - not the final product, which, again, will be, hopefully, much more compatible with Web pages out there.
Before anyone says I'm biased againt Opera: no, I'm not. I just like to be absolutely fair and have the necessary experience (see my other reviews, tutorials, roundups etc. of Web browsers) to be able to really test the compatibility of Web browsers.
Also, I do recommend the linked discussion threads to see what other people say about Opera.
As far as the HTML file association prblem is concerned, I've uploaded a registry file here. You'll need for example Resco Registry Editor to import it (see this article on registry editors). Let me know if you have problems importing it.
Wilbur, you will need to import this registry file.
Wilbur, don't be afraid of the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Apps\Opera Software Opera] key (the only key where there're absolute paths to the installed Opera browser); Opera doesn't ever read it. You can safely delete it.
Finally, I hope you've all noticed there's a brand new review of the WM5 version of the browser available at http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=478&more=1
Yup, Opera is great. I wish the current beta didn't have the 'download stalled' bug on WM2003(SE), which can really be a pain in the back if you frequently run into it.
BTW, I've just published some new tips and tricks for Opera at http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=558&more=1