Opera hits App Store

Norwegian software developer Opera has announced that its Opera Mini browser has won approval from Apple and will be available in the App Store by Wednesday, depending on market. Opera is the world’s most popular mobile browser, with 50 million users worldwide.

“We are delighted to offer iPhone and iPod touch users a great browsing experience with the Opera Mini App,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “This app is another step toward Opera’s goal of bringing the Web to more people in more places.”

After showing a sneak peek of the browser in Barcelona in February, the Norwegian firm has now made a video available to the general public, showing off Opera Mini’s “fast like a rocket” capabilities, billed as six times faster than Safari on the iPhone.

“Due to server-side rendering, Opera Mini compresses data by up to 90 per cent before sending it to the phone, resulting in rapid page loading and more web per MB for the end user,” the company said. “Those familiar with iPhone roaming charges will relish Opera Mini’s ability to deliver more for less, giving users the web they want quickly, without, the high costs.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpTCS3g-cBY[/youtube]