Opera Software yesterday showed off a mobile phone browser designed for use with low-end handsets that run on Java. The browser, called Opera Mini, is based on Sun's J2ME platform and is intended as an alternative to the company's regular mobile browser. The Mini targets the 700 million Java-enabled phones worldwide that cannot currently run a Web browser. Opera claims that installing the browser is as easy as downloading a ringtone.
Opera's client is one of many new applications targeted at the low- and mid-level handset market. The wireless industry expects much of its future growth to come from developing markets, where low-end handsets are the dominant devices. Carriers in these markets are eager to roll out more data services, but they need cheaper handsets and applications first.
For more on Opera's new J2ME mobile browser:
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