Opera Software partners with Indian mobile OEMs to get its Opera Mini browser pre-installed on Android devices

Opera Software has partnered with seven smartphone and tablet manufacturers based in India to ensure that its Opera Mini browser comes pre-installed on a large number of future devices running Android.

All devices built by Celkon, Karbonn, Lava and Intex – and which run Google’s mobile operating system – will have the mobile-optimized Web browser installed straight out of the box. Fly, Zen and tablet manufacturer HCL ME, meanwhile, have confirmed that the Opera Mini app will be pre-installed on a select number of its Android-based devices moving forward.

Partnering with seven prolific mobile OEMs in India is a wise move for Opera Software. There’s still a large number of consumers who have never touched the Play Store and choose instead to rely on the pre-installed software and apps that come with their smartphone or tablet. It’s why Safari continues to have such a large userbase on iOS and why Internet Explorer has dominated Windows-based laptops and desktops for so many years.

“We are extremely pleased to work with these Indian mobile OEMs who have chosen Opera Mini for their devices based on Android, a very promising mobile OS for smartphones,” Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software said. “A combination of affordable Android devices and smart applications such as Opera Mini will ensure that users enjoy a seamless browsing experience and encourage newbies to get on board the web express.”

Opera Software claims that its Opera Mini browser is “the most widely used” mobile Web browser in India due to its advanced server compression technology. It runs on almost every major mobile operating system, including iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone, and is innovative because it does most of the heavy lifting on Opera’s own servers before sending the results to a mobile device.

Although the quality of the webpage might suffer a little bit as a consequence, it means that webpages load much faster on the move and require less data; an important advantage for users in developing and emerging markets such as India.

Opera Software hit the headlines last week after it filed a lawsuit against a former employee and consultant who allegedly gave away trade secrets to rival Mozilla. If Trond Werner Hansen is found guilty, he could face up to 20 million Norwegian Krone, or roughly $3.4 million, in damages.

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