Opera Software announced its latest innovation on Thursday -- Opera Link. The Norwegian company is promising its new technology will let users instantly access their bookmarks, Speed Dial, and personal bar wherever they are, whatever Opera browser they use, and whatever device they use it on.
"We refuse to believe people should compromise their experience when they access the Web from different devices," Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner said in a statement. "With Opera Link, we give them a consistent experience uniquely suited to the way they want to use the Web."
Opera Link forms a key cornerstone of two beta products released this week: Opera 9.5 and the newest beta of Opera Mini 4. There is also a Web interface for users of any browser at my.opera.com. The Opera Web remains free and is available for use with Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.
Opera Link Praised
Wireless analysts are bullish on Opera's innovation. "The Web provides a key platform for mobilizing content across a wide range of devices, and Web browsers remain the primary portal to that content," said Tony Cripps, a senior analyst at Ovum. "Tighter functional integration between browsers running on different devices is a natural and important extension that will further benefit the user experience of the Web when away from the PC."
Although consumers can synchronize their mobile phone bookmarks to their desktop browser using one of many products available today -- including the built-in synchronization capabilities of most major mobile phone operating systems -- analysts said the Opera Link is a welcome addition.
"If you frequently visit some arcane URL, the last thing you want to do is try to type that in using the keypad on your mobile phone," said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. "Of course, it's not just about bookmarks. It's about bookmarks, text files, and other data that is an integral part of a consumer's digital life. This is the first step."
Opera's Continual Moves
Clearly, the market for mobile browsers is getting more crowded. Nokia is making strides with its mobile browser, and Mozilla recently announced plans to port Firefox to mobile phones. The open-source developer is planning to launch its mobile browser in 2008.
However, Opera is making inroads with leading smartphone operators and handset manufacturers, including Sony Ericsson, Motorola, HTC, KDDI, and Kyocera. Opera announced this week that its mobile browser will be shipped as the "PC Site Viewer" on seven new mobile phones on KDDI's featured 2007 autumn/winter series. KDDI is Japan's leading 3G operator.
"From Opera's perspective, this is a real key move," Gartenberg said. "Consumers create hundreds of bookmarks and links. No one wants to keep rebuilding that every single time they switch mobile devices."
Opera also announced that Opera Widgets will be shipped on Toshiba W56T, Sony Ericsson W54S, and Sanyo W54SA handsets from KDDI. Opera's Widget technology is designed to help users improve and personalize their browsing experience. This is the first time Opera Widgets have shipped on a mobile phone.
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