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8 million active Opera Mini users in over 10 months

Published December 5th, 2006 8:40 PM EST By Daniel Goldman

In a blog post on the My.Opera Community homepage, Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner wrote about the milestone reached with Opera Mini. There are now 8 million (that’s 8,000,000) active Opera Mini users.

I personally find this astounding since Opera did virtually no paid advertisement for Opera Mini. Yes, Opera had some major deals with T-Mobile and others, but the word of mouth by the Opera grassroots is, no doubt, what made Opera Mini so popular.

Lawrence Eng made an interesting observation in his blog, noting that the identity of the CEO of Opera on the My.Opera community site has been revealed. “For years, his public profile was pretty anonymous, with no picture (there’s one now) and very little info.” Hehe… I’ve known this juicy bit of information for quite some time already; in fact I’ve added him as my friend a long time ago. :)

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8 Comments

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  1. 1 GT500 Dec 6th, 2006 at 2:05 am
    using Opera Opera 9.10 on Linux Linux

    Funny, I was at the mall earlier today, and I asked a guy at a T-Mobile booth if they had anything powered by the Opera framework (correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall any phones powered by Opera) just to see what he’d say. His reaction was “what’s Opera?” The guy had never heard of the Opera browser…

  2. 2 Eddie Dec 6th, 2006 at 8:42 am
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Windows Windows XP

    My favorite Jon moment was in the test forums when he posted a test message and people responded to it not knowing it was him. Someone asked if he was a senior employee or not… and he responded with “I guess I’m senior…”

  3. 3 Eddie Dec 6th, 2006 at 11:09 am
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Windows Windows XP

    Ah- Here it is

  4. 4 BAMAToNE Dec 7th, 2006 at 11:27 am
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Windows Windows XP

    LOL, thanks for the link, Eddie. Funny stuff.

  5. 5 Grey Dec 7th, 2006 at 8:30 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Windows Windows XP

    Hehe… I’ve known this juicy bit of information for quite some time already; in fact I’ve added him as my friend a long time ago.

    You are so cool… do you want a child from me?

  6. 6 tbc Dec 9th, 2006 at 8:33 am
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Linux Linux

    Anyone has an idea how this 8 million compares to the desktop Opera’s userbase?

  7. 7 Øyvind Ø Dec 9th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
    using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 2.0 on Windows Windows XP

    8,000,001 now. After resetting all settings on my phone and deleting Mini 2, I finaly managed to get Mini 3 to work. Woohoo…

  8. 8 tbc Dec 9th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
    using Opera Opera 9.02 on Linux Linux

    Okay, I just found the About Opera section in the right column and now I know Opera has around 15 million desktop users. So these additional 8 million is a great boost. Good job Opera Mini!

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Opera Watch, an Opera browser blog, is run by Daniel Goldman, who used to work for Opera Software as a Technical Evangelist.

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Q: What is Opera?
A: Opera is one of the most powerful Web browsers around. A Web browser is the program that allows you to view Web pages. Opera is well known for innovation for PC browsers and bringing the full web to mobile phones and devices.

Q: Is Opera free?
A: Absolutely free.

Q: Why should I download a browser? Doesn't my computer already come with one for free?
A: It's about getting more out of the time you spend on the internet. Opera is designed to be much faster than these browsers and gives you powerful features that the default browser lacks. Default browsers like Internet Explorer are also more likely to be subjected to dangerous software such as viruses and spyware.

Q: Will Opera keep me safe from fraudulent websites and malicious hackers?
A: According to Secunia, a respected firm that tracks security in browsers, Opera has the best reputation and track record when it comes to browser security. Keeping our users safe from security vulnerabilities, fraudulent websites, and malicious hackers is a top priority for Opera. Opera is maintained by hundreds of engineers, developers and security experts who are constantly looking to make the browser even safer.

Q: Doesn't Opera copy all of their features from other browsers?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, many of the features that are popular in other browsers today were invented and pioneered by Opera a long time ago. Opera invented the precursor to tabs (in 1994), Page Zoom (1994), was the first browser to block pop-up ads (2000), first to add a Search field in the browser toolbar (2000), Sessions (1996), deleting private data (2000), Mouse Gestures (2000), User JavaScript (2005), BitTorrent support (2005), Widgets (2006), Speed Dial (2007), and much more.

Q: Does Opera support extensions, such as those found in Firefox?
A: Much of the functionality provided through Firefox extensions is already built directly into Opera, so you don't have to download additional extensions in Opera. In addition, Opera is highly customizable and supports all standard plug-ins.

Q: Can I also use Opera on my mobile phone?
A: Yes. And your Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS or almost any connected device and mobile phones. Opera Mobile oftens comes preinstalled from the manufacturers, but if it doesn't you can install Opera Mini which runs on nearly all phones.

Q: This all sounds great, so how do I download Opera?
A: -- Opera on your computer
-- Opera Mini on your phone
-- Opera Mobile on your phone
-- or learn more about Opera at www.opera.com