Intro

After checking out the Bolt browser for BlackBerry I wanted to see if there were any other worthy BlackBerry browser replacements so I decided to check Opera’s browser.  I had previously tried the Opera Mini 4 browser and liked it , but when I saw the download for Mini 5 beta, I decided to give it a shot.  I’ll give a quick review of some of the new features that make this the best mobile browser that I have used to date.  It’s available for download from here and can be installed over the air on your phone.

User Interface

From the loading screen to the options menus, this browser looks great. The color scheme of charcoal and red really pops on the Bold’s vivid screen and the fonts are extremely legible.  Another great feature of the Opera Mini 5 are the animated menus.  Switching between tabs moves fluidly and the drop down options menu looks great.  The title bar has easy text entry and a built in Google and Wikipedia search.  Web page rendering looks great as well.  When you load a site, the initial view lets you see the whole site, then you can zoom in closer to read full text.

Speed Dial

Speed dial is the default start screen when you open Opera Mini 5 beta.  It is a wall of 9 squares, each for you to put your favorite any most accessed sites.  It’s very similar to Apple Safari’s top sites page, less the 3D look.   To add a site to the Speed Dial screen, simply click on one of the unused tiles and add the address and it will put a thumbnail view of the site in the tile.

Tabbed Browsing

Tabbed browsing is by far the most impressive feature of this new browser.  It’s such a huge improvement of the built in BlackBerry browser, you won’t want to go back.  Press the BlackBerry button and up pops the navigation buttons.  To add a new tab, you simply click the plus button next to the farthest right tab.

Switching between tabs works great too.  When you bring up the navigation menu and scroll over the tab title it shows a preview of the tab before you select it.  Once you choose the tab, select it and your good to go.

Conclusion

Opera Mini 5 sets the standard for mobile browsing on the BlackBerry.  Since it’s still in beta, it can only get better from here.