Qualcomm and Opera talk up smart browsing on cheap phones

MORE MASS-MARKET PHONES will have decent web browsers, thanks to a deal between chip supplier Qualcomm and Opera.

Opera Mini, a popular web browser on mobile phones that don't break the bank, will ship on feature phones carrying Qualcomm's mobile operating system called 'Brew MP'. Feature phones are low-end phones not advanced enough to fit the smartphone category but still capabile enough to run simple applications.

Qualcomm claims Brew MP is already on over 1,200 device models and hundreds of millions of handsets. While it's not a competitor to smartphone operating systems like IOS or Android, it can do a good job of running newer low-end phones.

Opera Mini offers a satisfying experience for smaller handset screens on low-powered phones. The Norwegian software outfit has a long history and considerable market share in this area. Opera Mini uses compression technology that processes webpages on Opera's servers, sending small files to the phone that should look identical to what you see on a desktop PC.

It hasn't quite gained traction with smartphones, where users have choices like Safari, Firefox and Chrome. But Opera Mini has the feature phone market sewn up, while with Brew MP Qualcomm is not doing badly either. µ