Opera Mini for the iPhone just got approved.
Kind of a big deal for two reasons:
1. Even on a 2g network, side-by-side demos, seen here, show Opera Mini able to completely load five pages on NYTimes.com before Safari can even download one. This is partly due to Opera’s smaller running size, and partly due to Opera’s download compression technology. Either way, it’s sweet for mobile browsing.
2. Apple’s been in plenty of hot water since launching the iPhone about rejected apps — especially considering the recent news that Apple will not allow Flash CS5-written iPhone apps to be accepted into the store. One of Apple’s key app policies is that the app not “duplicate existing iPhone functionality” which Opera, a web browser, clearly does. Yet Apple accepted it. So this could be a sign of a better attitude to come from Apple.
Check out the press release here and keep an eye on the actual release date. The app will be free for 24 hours when it first hits the app store.
A Night At The Opera
I have a housemate up in this Jersey City ex-rectory named Brendan. He’s in the second year of the Seton Hall program I’m in. He is from Indiana originally and he loves doing things; he has a knack for finding free/cheap activities in New York City.
Last night, we went to the opera! Lincoln Center was enough of a treat to see, but my first opera was fantastic too.