I’ve long been a fan of the Opera Mini browser. Especially for whenever I’m using a non-smartphone (and sometimes when I’m on a smartphone, too). For those who’re not familiar with Opera Mini, here’s what’s so cool about it:

All browsing goes through Opera’s compressing web proxy. A web page which would normally be a one megabyte download from a regular browser is typically compressed to about one tenth the size. This browser will let you browse the real web, and on a tiny “dumb” phone, no less.

The new version takes more than a few ideas from Nokia’s “minimap” S60 browser, and I really like it! See this link for a demo and this one for a tongue-in-cheek jab at Apple’s iPhone.

Then go check it out for yourself on your mobile phone. I’m really impressed Opera’s work on this one!

Edit: here’s a simulator, allowing you to try the browser from your computer.