Opera Proudly Flaps Its Wings

Opera announces support for Symbian’s unique technology concept “Magpie”

Oslo, Norway – May 14, 2002

Opera Software today announced that it will support Symbian’s new exciting technology concept, “Magpie”, when it becomes available as a commercial solution. Opera Software’s support for technologies like Magpie demonstrates Opera’s unique modular browser architecture, a technological advantage that has placed Opera at the forefront in the industry as the leading embedded browser developer. Apart from supplying a traditional Web browser, Opera’s browser technologies can also be scaled to fit all kinds of devices, by customizing or removing components. The same kind of customization of Opera’s browser technologies that will make support for Magpie possible, has already been deployed in the new Nokia 9210i Communicator.

Opera is the default browser for Symbian’s reference design’s as of May 2001, and Nokia included Opera in the new 9210i Communicator introduced at CeBIT this year.

“We are all very excited about Magpie here at Opera,” says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. “Opera and Magpie will add unique capabilities to Symbian’s smartphones that do not exist on competing platforms like Microsoft’s PocketPC and Palm OS. Opera is proud to be the first browser to support this as a future commercial solution.”

With Magpie users can integrate data services within their mobile phones’ applications, opening up a wealth of possibilities for users of all categories. A business traveller might for example choose to insert his flight booking in his smartphone calendar. If the flight is delayed, the new information will be dynamically updated in the smartphone calendar, with Opera rendering the HTML or WAP data.

“Opera’s ability to support technologies like Magpie demonstrates the technological advantage that has made Opera the embedded browser leader,” says Lars Boilesen, VP Embedded Products, Opera Software. “Opera can provide a browser that is fast and small, with superior support for international, open standards. Thanks to Opera’s modular architecture, it is possible to remove, add or customize components according to our customer’s needs.”

Opera’s Symbian OS browser is designed to be used as a “component” within other applications so that generic Web and WAP content can be displayed within any existing user interface design. Opera’s engine can link to third-party applications and create controls within their existing control hierarchy. The contents of these controls can then be set to display either local or remote Web or WAP pages. The Opera controls are fully dynamic, and if their content or size changes, the page is reformatted accordingly. Opera performs its tasks interactively thereby not affecting the responsiveness of the host application.

An example of a customized modular Opera component is within the mail application on the new Nokia 9210i Communicator, where HTML e-mail and attachments are displayed using Opera’s browser technologies.

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About Opera Software

Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Web browsers for the desktop and embedded markets, partnering with companies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Ericsson, Sharp and Lineo. The Opera browser has received international recognition from end users and the industry press for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than other browsers. Opera is available on Windows, Mac, Linux/Solaris, Symbian OS and QNX. Opera Software ASA is a privately held company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.