Browser maker Opera has released a new proxy-based option for mobile Opera users, claiming a 250% speed improvement.
Opera Software today announced a new service called Opera Mobile Accelerator, a proxy-based solution that it claims to slice rendering time by 250% and reduce data transfer, saving metered users money.
Opera Mobile Accelerator entails that all requested Internet traffic passes through an Opera server, where the Web pages are compressed, stripping out all unnecessary elements before they are downloaded to the handset.
Mobile proxy servers are not new, in fact they've been far more common than direct browsers on Palm OS for a long time, but this is the first time that Opera itself has pushed a proxy service. The primary advantage is the ability to compress the data and often pre-render it before it is sent down to the handheld, thus saving data and time on typically slow, often metered wireless connections. That makes the web browsing experience faster, reduces cost on metered connections, and if there is pre-rendering involved can take some of the load off of a handheld's often relatively weak processor. The downside is the cost involved in maintaining the proxy server.
Opera Mobile Accelerator is available on a subscription basis to end-users, or as a direct license to network operators to run their own server. The end user subscription is available in 3, 6, ad 12 month terms for 12 EUR, 20 EUR, and 30 EUR, respectively. It requires Opera 6.31, also released today as a free upgrade, and works with the Sony Ericsson P800 and P900 as well as all Series 60 handsets.
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