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Opera Mini Browser Arrives on Windows Mobile Phones

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So right after releasing version 10.50 of its web browser for Windows, here comes Opera again with another  announcement  which we would not have expected to happen. Opera Software just released a native version of its Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5- and 6-based phones.

This means that Windows Mobile phones just got a an optimized version of the Opera Mini browser which hopefully would improve the web browsing performance of these phones. What’s interesting about this development is that despite requiring Java, Opera was able to make the Mini browser to run on Windows mobile phones. These phone models happen to be unsupportive of Java technology. But then, Opera managed to bypass this requirements.

Even without Java running, the Opera Mini 5 beta for WinMo phones offers the same browsing experience as the Opera Mini 5 in mobile phones that support Java. So, you’d also get to use Opera’s famous features such as tabbed browsing, password manager, bookmarks and speed dial. These are all built-in to the Windows Mobile OS.

But perhaps what makes this development even more important is the fact this will definitely improve the performance of WinMo phones since Opera is known for compressing data traffic by up to 90%. This translates to a significang improvement to page-loading and speed.  Of course, bottomline of all of this is reduced mobile data cost for users when browsing the web on their Windows Mobile phones.

To download Opera Mini 5 beta on your WinMo phones, visit http://m.opera.com/next.

Originally posted on March 4, 2010 @ 10:19 am

Google Buzz Gets a Native iPhone App, Simply Called Buzzie!

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Why did it take an iPhone app developer to come up with the first native app for Google Buzz? Isn’t Buzz not too interesting enough to merit its own native iPhone? Frankly, I’ve been waiting for this one. In fact, I was expecting something like this to come out earlier.

Anyway, so there it is. Google Buzz now has its own native iPhone app and it’s simply called – Buzzie.

Currently selling for an introductory price of $1.99 during its first week run on the Apps Store, Buzzie lets yo do, well what you practically can do on the Google Buzz webapp. If you want to be specific about these features, it includes the following:

  • Receive messages from the people you follow
  • Comment on messages and mark them as liked
  • Browse all links and images attached to messages
  • Manage your followers
  • Browse the people following you
  • Find new people to follow
  • Check the places around you and buzz about them
  • Buzz from your phone, publicly or privately

It’s a simple, straight-out port of the Buzz webapp, so don’t expect too much from it. And besides, what can you possibly expect from an iPhone of the web’s latest noise maker?, I mean online communication tool.

Simply put, Buzzie is good native app that would help you get your Buzz fix in a faster and easier way.

Will you use Buzzie? Or is the Buzz webapp enough for your buzzing needs? If you want to get this app, here is its iTunes Link.

Originally posted on March 3, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

Skype Now Available for All Nokia Smartphones

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Skype and Nokia’s partnership has been going for quite some time now. In fact, their plans of integrating Skype to Nokia devices has been discussed as early as February last year. Although Nokia devices were able to get a default Skype client it is only now that it is finally made available for majority of Nokia’s smartphones – specifically those running on Symbian ^1.

Skype for Symbian will let you to use Skype even while on the move, either through WiFi, GPRS, EDGE or 3G.  Skype for Symbian is now available for download at the Nokia Ovi Store and you can install it on your smartphone if it belongs to the following long list of Nokia devices that support it:

Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia X6, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia 5530 and the following non-touch devices: Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E90, Nokia E63, Nokia E66, Nokia E51, Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8Gb, Nokia N85, Nokia N82, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8 Gb, Nokia N79, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 5320.

If your current Nokia phone is any of those devices listed, then you can enjoy the following features of Skype on your device:

  • Make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world
  • Save money on calls and texts (SMS) to phones abroad.
  • Send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups
  • Share pictures, videos and other files.
  • Receive calls to their existing online number
  • See when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM
  • Easily import names and numbers from the phone’s address book

Of course before you go on a Skype holiday, make sure that you are subscribe to an unlimited data plan, since even though Skype-to-Skype call is free, you are still using up air time of your mobile carriers.

You may download Skype for Symbian by following this link.

Via The Skype Blog

Originally posted on March 3, 2010 @ 6:05 am

Hootsuite Twitter App Goes to Android, iPhone App Updated

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I’ve encountered Hootsuite a long time ago when I was reviewing Twitter apps for iPhone. I like it  a lot then that I even purchase the paid version. After the review I totally forgot about this app but it still resides in my iPhone, until now.  Hootsuite is announcing its latest project – Hootsuite for Android phones. In addition, its iPhone app now supports full Facebook integration.

In case you haven’t heard about Hootsuite or you haven’t use it before, well it’s just your usual mobile Twitter client that supports multiple accounts plus some added features such as message scheduling, statistics and now Facebook integration and landscape view feature.

For its Android version, Hootsuite lets you manage multiple Twitter accounts also. It also lets you create streams for #tags and searches, schedule messages, add followers to lists and accounts, share photos and shorten URLs of posted links and  now background notifications for incoming  messages on your Android phone’s homescreen.

Hootsuite for Android is available in both free and paid options.  The paid version adds features such as unlimited accounts, on-board, click-through statistics tracking while the free version only allows you to have three Twitter accounts.

You can get the app by searching for it on the Android market or scan the QR barcode below.

Originally posted on March 2, 2010 @ 3:32 pm

Googles’s Bundle of New Search Related Features

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Google recently introduced twin cool features relating to its search services – one is for Android devices, while the other is on web search. But both are aimed at making user’s search experience no matter what the platform is – faster and more fruitful. So, let’s take a look into each of these two search-related features.

First up is Gesture Search for Android-powered devices running on version 2.0 or above in the U.S. This is a pretty cool method of searching content from Android phones. Not just cool but a faster way of finding information. And how does this feature works? Simply draw alphabet gestures on your phone’s touch screen and Gesture Search will give you a list of items that starts with the letter that you’ve drawn. It searches your phone’s contact, installed application, a bookmark or a music track.

It told you it was cool, right? Even cooler than the Nexus One’s voice-enabled search feature. In addition, this app (yes it’s actually an Android app) also learns your search history, so your phone’s search quality improves in time. Gesture search is available now for free in Android Market.

The other search-related feature is about making web search more personalized for individual users. And that is through star markers that will be displayed next to individual search results. If you mark a search result with a star, it will appear on a special list right at the top of your results when relevant, the next time you do a search.

What’s good about stars in search is that you don’t need to exert extra effort in managing or using them. It just might even remind you that you’ve actually starred items related to your current search activity. In addition, this feature also syncs with Google Bookmarks and Google Toolbar, giving you an automated way of seeing your starred items.

So there, two new, cool search related features that Google introduced almost simultaneously.  Which of these two search features will you most likely use?

Originally posted on March 4, 2010 @ 4:40 pm