Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Opera Mini 4.2 vs UCWEB 6.3

Opera Mini 4.2

Bookmarks/Favorites work just alright on Opera Mini 4.2, but there's no option to use folders on bookmarks. 4 points

Closed format preview to open pdf/doc and other fies is missing. Only txt files can be opened. 2 points

Cookie/password manager fair enough. Cookies locally stored and can be deleted, but no password manager. 4 points

Download/upload works. All kinds of files can be downloaded, uploaded and attached into emails just alright. 5 points

Find in page is well implemented and easy to use. 5 points

In-line editing possible only on url field. I like the possibility to open the url also in phone's editor. It makes it easy to copy url and use it elsewhere on the phone, in case it's needed. 2 points

Nationalization deserves special thanks on Opera Mini. Opera products and services are available in many different languages and translations are well done. 5 points

Phone number recognition is highly usable and the length of phone number recognized can be changed on advanced about:opera settings. 5 points

Possibility to add searches is easy, just as is to use them. Almost any search field seen on Web sites can saved from menu opened on phone's editor. Then saved favorite searches can be opened directly from start page or via #9 shortcut. 5 points

Render technique is excellent on Opera Mini, or that's what it is for my taste. Opera Mini offers chance to quickly switch between 'Desktop/Mobile View', and here 'mobile view' means specially rendered one column content on almost any Web site. In this, I personally like Opera Mini 4.2, because it honestly introduces itself as mobile browser only. The point here is to "force" users to demand better mobile contents from Web sites they use. Something like year ago number of Web sites started to push very limited content for users of mobile browsers. Opera mini users started to demanded that there should be an option to make Opera Mini present itself as full desktop browser. However, Opera Mini team decided to stand behind their principles by saying that people should direct their complaints to Web site designers and service providers. People should demand well designed and mobile friendly Web sites instead. Nowadays this principle seems to start paying off. Number of Web sites have started to offer quite nicely done mobile content or they give an option to switch to full content pages. 5 points

RTSP video support started to work since version 4.2, and it works just fine. Videos are opened into built-in browser & video player, and once watcing is finished, user gets back to Opera Mini. I like this, because it's nice to watch videos using full display. 3 points

Save page feature works fine and is easy to use. 5 points

Select copy and paste text missing almost completely. Only contents opened on forms can copied but no way to select and copy text on pages. 2 points

Server backup is what makes Opera Mini 4.2 as unique. Opera Link is a brilliant idea to synchronize bookmark, feeds, notices between Opera Mini and desktop Opera, Morevoer, Opera Link can be accessed also on any other browser. UCWEB has also started to offer something similar, but currently their service is available only in Chinese. 5 points

Settings/Preferences are well covered but for some srange reason part of them are hidden behind local about:opera address. 4 points

Start page on Opera Mini 4.2 is almost perfect. Saved pages section would have been better above page history, but otherwise the start page is functional and easy to use. I like the idea to have just few speed dials on start page, and then the rest of the bookmarks elsewhere, but this is of course a matter of taste. 4 points.

Tabs/Windows missing. 1 point

Average for Opera Mini 4.2: 3.9 points

UCWEB 6.3

Bookmarks/Favorites are easy to save and access on UCWEB 6.3, and there's an option to use folders as well. 5 points

Closed format preview makes UCWEB 6.3 as unique, and I really wish to see this available also on any J2ME browser. It just makes things so much easier when you can preview almost any type of documents on your J2ME prowser. There are a lot of contents available in pdf, word doc, or in some other format, that can be useful especially for mobile users. Some train and buss companies offer timetables only in pdf, or user would like to read Powerpoint or Open Office presentations on her/his way to conference. 5 points

Cookie/password manager seems to be implemented just alright. Cookies saved and can be cleared, but no password manager. 4 points

Download/upload supposedly works just fine. I haven't actually tried to upload anything, but the upload feature seems to be there. 4 points

Find in page feature is not what I expect. Words only on links can be searched and theres no option to 'find next'. Instead you have to open 'Menu>Find' again and again. 2 points

In-line editing missing? 1 points

Nationalization fare enough since user interface is available at least in two languages, Chinese and English. 2 points

Phone number recognition available but no settings for it. 4 points

Possibility to add searches missing. 1 point

Render technique is awful on UCWEB 6.3. No desktop view available and the layout is simple not user friendly. For example reading forum posts is painful because colors and separators on original layout are missing. It's very difficult to distinguish separate posts because of this. 2 points.

RTSP video support works alright, just as it does on Opera Mini. 3 points

Save page missing? 1 points

Select copy and paste text available for links on pages, current screen or whole page. I like the context menu options to copy the link text or url. Moreover, it's excellent that all copied contents are stored into clipboard. Although there's no similar selection tool as on BOLT 1.5, the clipboard and copy link features make UCWEB 6.3 pretty handy. 4 points.

Server backup is available only in Chinese. I didn't try to use it so, I'm rally not sure how it works. 3 points

Settings/Preferences are there alright, but I could not find any help or manual explaining all those settings available on UCWB 6.3. 3 points

Start page I just did not like at all. Why there has to be all those preselected bookmarks, which can not be removed or edited? There's some odd tab like toolbar for switching between "mains" and bookmarks, but why not an option to have some other tabs as well? 3 points

Tabs/Windows is actually very useful feature also on J2ME browsers, just as it is on desktop rowsers. Previously I thought it's not a big deal, but once I had a chance to use it on UCWEB and on Opera Mini 5 beta, I immediately fell in love into tabbed browsing feature. Combined with well working select/copy/past feature, this offers much more convenient way to add quotes, links and URLs into blog posts and on forum replies. 4 points

Average for UCWEB 6.3: 3.0 points

Conclusion

It looks like Opera Mini 4.2 is still the best available J2ME browser. Five points given for nationalization is of course a matter of taste, but especially in Europe it's important to get UI in your own language. That's where Opera Mini really shines. Moreover, Render technique is also very important because of overall usability. A nice desktop view is really not the best option on number of Web pages. For example forum posts are much more convenient to read using Opera Mini's mobile view than than it is on desktop view. One may think UCWEB would be good then, but render technique used on UCWEB is just so padly implemented that it's really a pain to read pages like Web forums.

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