The Opera Mini browser is probably the only thing which makes internet browsing feasible on a mobile phone, especially with the kind of connection we have in India. The beta of version 5 brings the browser to the level of Desktop browsers. Almost.
While the recent Opera 10 browser introduced one of the best Opera Mini features for the desktop, namely Opera Turbo, the fifth iteration of the Opera Mini browser brings with it some of the best features of desktop browsing, tabs, and a password manager!
  |
 |
| Multiple Tabs in Opera Mini Beta 5 (with and without touch interface) | Password manager offers to save password |
The browser if full of visual upgrades too. Starting with the home screen, which now offers a visual overview of your tabs rather than just text links. The entire interface seems to have been given a makeover, and it quite unrecognizable from the old Opera 4 interface. There doesn’t seem to be an option for browser themes any more. Besides, this being just a Beta, it is likely the option will be back by the final release (or afterwards as was the case with Opera Mini 4.2).
Opera Mini Home screen
The tabs feature is of such obvious benefit that it perhaps needs little introduction. In a mobile browser this is quite a feat, and will surely make mobile browsing a richer experience. With mobile memories increasing steadily, this option will hopefully be more welcome over time.
While a password manager for a mobile device makes sense in all the right levels. It is considerable difficult to enter your convolutedly secure password even with a QWERTY keypad for a mobile.
Some of the other features include inline text editing support, copy-paste functionality and search-in-page functionality.
Overall, the visual refresh combined with some powerful features (with more to come), make this a worthy successor to the Opera Mini 4.2. After the somewhat brilliant, yet finally disappointing Opera 10 desktop browser they continue to rule the mobile world.
Get the latest version of Opera Mini 5 beta from the Opera website.
Here is a video of Opera Mini 5 beta in action: