Opera Mobile comes to the Gigabyte GSmart S1200

Despite Microsoft’s efforts Opera Mobile is still the best native Windows Mobile browser and has recently become almost the default browser on many new handsets. With the improved Pocket IE this has changed however, with many handsets shipping only with Internet Explorer.

The Gigabyte GSmart S1200 was one of these, but this decision was recently reversed. Opera Software announced that GIGA-BYTE Communications has selected Opera Mobile 9.5 to power the “Hami” widget service on the Windows based Gigabyte GSmart S1200. Hami, developed by Taiwan’s leading operator Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), delivers local, online information directly to the GSmart screen. With Opera Mobile 9.5, GSmart users can not only surf the Web with a full featured browser, but also easily access news, weather, live stock quotes, local search engines, and other online services with just one-click.

“Browsing is one of the main features on the GSmart S1200, and Opera Mobile is widely recognized as the best browser for smartphones,” said Dr. Stanley Jenq, CEO of GIGA-BYTE Communications Inc. “Because of Opera’s leadership in developing widgets for mobile phones, we predict a seamless delivery of CHT’s Hami services, giving users an even easier way to search, socialize and simply enjoy the Web,” continued by Dr. Jenq.

Taiwan-based CHT developed the Hami concept for smartphones so that their subscribers could access local, online information. In the future, Hami will extend its offer to paid services, such as e-book stores. Currently Hami can be accessed by three major smartphone operating systems: iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile.

“Opera Mobile has been shipped on more than 130 million phones globally and has gained its international renown largely through successful partnerships and word-of-mouth. Widgets are a key focus on Opera Mobile, and we share Gigabyte and CHT’s vision of improving the user experience through easy, one-click Web solutions,” said James Wei, President, Asia Pacific, Opera Software. “With this partnership, Opera is extending its reach in Taiwan and bringing the convenience of widgets to more people, in more places.”

New shipments of the GSmart S1200 will come with a preinstalled version of Opera Mobile 9.5. For the existing registered GSmart S1200 users, Opera Mobile 9.5 is now available through a firmware download from www.gigabytecm.com.

Via JustAMP