Opera Micro rendering
Words by Daniel Aleksandersen on 2007-06-20
The new Opera Mini 4 beta brings a new way of rendering websites on the mobile web browser. Or is it new? It sure looks similar to Safari on the iPhone's way of rendering web sites.
Opera Mini now displays the full page in a micro view. Similar to the way Safari does it. However (I presume) most phones that uses Opera Mini does not have a 8.9 cm widescreen display like the iPhone. So is a page micro view useful on regular mobile phone?
Cursor
The user moves a cursor around the screen with the keyboard. Introducing a point and click on the mobile phone. However most users are not used to moving a cursor around the screen on a mobile phone!
I think this will be very confusing to many, and really hard to use too! Having to press all these different buttons to move the cursor is not a good interface. It will be easier on phones with a joystick, but that is not that many phones with joysticks.
Fit-to-width
The old fit-to-width rendering is still available. But there is no easy way to switch between the two rendering methods. Users have to change the option under settings, enter the address again, and wait for the page to load again.
This is not a very cost effective way of switching between rendering engines with a regular cost per byte data access subscription.
The fit-to-width view displayes content in a way more sutable to the small screen sizes. I think it is much better than the micro view. It does not feel right having to select what part of the page I want to focus on and read. I want all the information! Not just a small part of it!
I think the new micro page view should be complimentary to the fit-to-width rendering (and not the other way around). And there should be an easy and more cost effective way to switch between the two!
5 comments
Far too few sites have been optimized for small-screen rendering. It is hell trying to browse trough a site with i.e. a menubar on the left; going through two page-views, just to get to the content.
The new engine renders a preview of the whole page, giving you the opportunity to show what you want, in a close-up, like you're used to - it's just a faster way of getting there.
And the way Opera Mini now dynamically downloads information as you scroll - is amazing. Much faster browsing.
Christian Knappskog at 2007-06-20 @864.
Faster, but not cost effective.
Anyhow: that pages are not optimized for small screens is indeed a problem. However I do not think moving a cursor around the screen will be useful because users are not used to it!
Cursors have been reserved for computer desktops. I do not think it will work when moved around by keys.
Daniel Aleksandersen at 2007-06-20 @868.
You could easily change the layout mode by clicking the number '1' button, which brings up the context menu.
Daniel Goldman (Subscribed) at 2007-06-20 @051.
I did not know about that, Goldman! Thanks. However it still requires the page to be retransfered which still leaves the bandwidth issue…
Daniel Aleksandersen at 2007-06-20 @086.
Yes, the page needs to be re-transferred, since the formatting is done on the Opera Mini servers.
Daniel Goldman (Subscribed) at 2007-06-20 @090.
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