Well, it looks like Opera’s big public push to get on the iPhone has resonated with customers because the browsing app is topping the free category in multiple markets.
If you recall, Apple didn’t let any non-Webkit browser into its App Store because it “duplicated functionality.” Opera was able to get its Mini browser approved because it cleverly said the server-side technology wasn’t against Apple’s developer terms of service. This logic, along with some public pressure, now means there are a lot of iPhone users testing out Opera’s product.
As you can see from the video below, the main advantage of Opera Mini is speed. The server-side browser has been optimized to deliver pages over low bandwidth, so iPhone users perpetually stuck on EDGE should find it appealing. There’s also web browser caching and a “speed dial” homepage that creates visual bookmarks for your favorite sites. I’ve played with it on my iPod Touch and found it to be a bit speedier but I still prefer to pinch-to-zoom of the Safari browser and the better font alignment.
Download Opera Mini for iPhone (Free) [iTunes Link]