GetJar bans Opera Mini on Apps Store for T&C violations
GetJar, an independent App Store has announced that it has banned one of the biggest selling apps from its platform.
Opera Software had used GetJar to promote its mobile web browsers, but broke GetJar’s terms and conditions after it recently launched its own Apps Store in competition to GetJar.
The Opera Mini browser had racked up more the 30 million downloads on Getjar over the last several years and was one of the most popular apps in the browser category.
In a statement, the company confirmed that Opera had been banned for T&C violations. It later confirmed the reasons in a letter that was sent to its apps developers.
Patrick Mork, CMO GetJar confirmed that the simple problem is that Opera mini decided to include a competing app store in its browser.
He added that although they don’t have any issue with this in principle, in practice it means that consumers might start using this app store instead of visiting GetJar to get their favorites apps. This robs GetJar of traffic and therefore, of the advertising necessary to keep their service free for the more than 25 million consumers that use GetJar.
Vodafone, MTS launch new Opera Mini (Russia)
MTS in partnership with Vodafone and Opera Software has announced the launch of a new customized version of Opera Mini for MTS subscribers.
According to MTS, using MTS Internet with Opera Mini, MTS customers will be able to add up to 30 of their preferred pages to a Speed Dial screen and quickly load them with a quick tap function. This unique capability surpasses the standard version of the Opera Mini that allows customizing up to nine websites. In the coming months, the new browser will also enable the use of a wide range of widgets for YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Omlet directly on the phone.
According to MTS Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Mikhail Gerchuk, they are pleased that their partnership with Vodafone brings them the opportunity to offer unique services to their subscribers. The Opera Mini browser is very popular in Russia with more than four million MTS customers a month using it to surf the Internet. The launch of the new browser moves their partnership with Opera to the next level. With the customized Opera Mini’s added capability, they can turn a budget handset model with limited functions into a very capable Internet browsing device. They are confident that their subscribers will get a richer and more convenient mobile Internet experience with the MTS Internet with Opera Mini.
More than 70% of Russians use Opera Mini to access the Internet from mobile phones (based on StatCounter stats provider data). Opera uses compression technology that reduces traffic by up to 90% of the initial volume, enabling mobile operators to optimize investments in infrastructure and use network capacity more efficiently. The technology also allows for the download of web pages up to six times faster than a regular browser on a mobile phone, thereby significantly reducing costs for mobile Internet users.
Opera and Qualcomm partner to ship Opera Mini on Brew MP
Opera Software has signed an agreement to ship the Opera Mini browser worldwide on Qualcomm’s Brew mobile software platform.
According to the company, incorporating Opera Mini as part of Brew MP simplifies the process of making a web browser available to handset manufacturers.
Consumers will have access to the one of the fastest possible browsing experiences on their mass-market handsets and enjoy a desktop browser-like user interface tailored for smaller handset screens. Owing to the Opera Mini’s compression technology, these benefits are achieved while reducing monthly data charges.
According to Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Softwarey, they announced 90.4 million Opera Mini users worldwide recently. With this agreement, millions of consumers will be able to experience a superior mobile browsing experience which is fast and cost-effective. The combination of Opera Mini and Qualcomm’s worldwide reach means they are bringing the power of the Internet to everyone and not just smartphone users.
The Opera Mini browser is one of the world’s most popular mobile browsers, with more than 90 million users.
Google retakes top position in Mobile Web Charts
The most popular websites on mobile phones using the Opera Mini mobile web browser shows that Google once again rests at the top of the “State of the Mobile Web” top 30 list.
Last year Facebook was at this position, but this year Google returned to claim the top spot from more than 80 million Opera Mini users worldwide, knocking Facebook to the second spot.
Another high flier on the mobile web is the microblogging service Twitter, while the older social network Friendster is decreasing in popularity globally. The rapid growth of Twitter, rising eight places to #13 in the ranking, is mirrored by the rise of the social website Orkut as Brazilian web users take Opera Mini to their hearts.
According to Jon von Tetzchner, Co-founder, Opera Software, they believe people with access to information lead more social, more informed and more empowered lives. Growth in mobile browsing means the Web is pushing beyond its traditional borders. If the first era of the Web was about expanding the capability and content of the Web, the second age is clearly about access. In Opera we believe that access to the Web is a universal right.
Top 10 global mobile websites for November 2010 are as follows:
- Google.com (up 1)
- Facebook.com (down 1)
- Vkontakte.ru (Stood at the same position)
- Youtube.com (up 4)
- Odnoklassniki.ru (down 1)
- Yandex.ru (up 1)
- Yahoo.com (up 2)
- My.opera.com (down 2)
- Mail.ru (down 4)
- Getjar.com (up 3)
Mobile Blogging enabled by Opera
Opera Software ASA has created a new community-centered site that allows users to blog and upload photos directly from their mobile phones.Quietly launched in September to Opera browser users, the My Opera Community site is attracting an average of 1,000 new members per day, the browser developer has said.
A map of users shows that there is a dominant concentration of members in Europe and Asia, where mobile phone use is at its strongest, but other countries, like the United States, also have a number of bloggers.
