Opera is a web browser developed by the Opera Software Company. In addition to providing the common internet related tasks to the users, Opera also finds its use in mobile phones. Compared to the browser edition, the mobile edition is used more. Accordingly, a web browser that is free to use and is employed in mobile phones it the Opera mini browser. Capable of supporting mobiles that can run Java ME applications, the browser can be used for Smart Phones and communicators as well.
Ever since its release, more than 40 million mobile phones have been shipped out with the installed Opera Mini Browser. Due to its rich features and compatibility, Opera Mini Browser is the second most used mobile browser next to iPhone.
The principle behind Opera Mini’s operation lies in the fact that the browser requests for web pages from the Opera Software Company’s servers. These servers obtain the requested page from the internet, compress the page to fit to mobile user bandwidth and then relay them back to the mobile phone. Pre processing smoothens the compatibility factor for web pages that are not designed for mobile phones and the compression techniques reduce the transfer time.

Some of the features of Opera Mini Browser include:

. Ability to browse the web from the mobile device. Since the software works from the mobile phone, it is portable and lets the user experience the richness of the web from anywhere.
. Provision to browse faster and safer with new versions adapting features for quick scrolling and navigation etc.
. Ability to increase performance and speed of browsing up to 30%, addition of languages, skins and a workaround feature for video playback.
. Provision for a high level change log that incorporates new features and book mark changes.