Opera’s state of the mobile web report for the month of February 2010 is out. Nigeria is in the top 10 list again at number 7, one step behind South Africa.

Here is Opera’s snapshot of Nigeria for the month:

* Page-view growth since February 2009: 1,082.5%
* Unique-user growth since February 2009: 638.6%
* Page views per user: 393
* Data transferred per user (MB): 5
* Data transferred per page view (KB): 14
* The Grid, a mobile social-networking site, is new to the list in Nigeria.

Top 10 sites in Nigeria (unique users)

1. facebook.com
2. yahoo.com (3)
3. google.com (2)
4. bbc.co.uk
5. wikipedia.org
6. cnnmobile.com
7. sharemobile.ro
8. onthegrid.com (new)
9. goal.com (8)
10. mjoy.com

Top handsets for February 2010

1. Nokia 3110c
2. Nokia 5130 XpressMusic
3. Nokia 2700c
4. Nokia 2600c
5. Nokia N70
6. Nokia N72
7. Nokia 6300
8. Nokia 2330c
9. Sony Ericsson K750i
10. Nokia 2630

Don’t forget that the above statistics reflect only mobile web usage via Opera Mini only.

You can read and download February 2010′s State of the Mobile Web report from the Opera website.

Just on the heels of a native version of Opera Mobile for Windows Mobile now comes a native version for the Android mobile platform. Android smartphone users can now download their copy from the Android Market or from m.opera.com/next via their phone’s browser.

Opera has released a beta of the latest version of their Opera Mobile (not the java Opera Mini) for Symbian S60, and this release is valid for both 3rd and 5th edition devices.

Opera Mobile beta 10 claims to be “faster at rendering pages, zooming, panning and almost everything else you do with a browser. Page downloading is now 50% faster than the previous version of Opera for Symbian/S60 phones.”

In addition, it inlcudes speed dial, tabbed browsing, Opera Turbo, password manager, touch & keypad (for 5th edition devices), adaptive zooming, and AJAX support, among others.

Symbian smartphone users can head over to Opera’s full web site or visit http://m.opera.com/mobile/ on mobile to download Opera Mobile 10 beta right away.

Some screenshots of Opera Mobile running on the Nokia E90:

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For the first time in many months, Nigeria fell off Opera Mini’s top 10 countries list, while Vietnam made its debut.

Here are other statistics from the report:

• Nokia and Sony Ericsson are by far the most popular handset brands chosen by Opera Mini users in the CIS
• Users in the top 10 countries save up to 672 million USD per month, or over 8.1 billion USD per year

Behind the Scene

Apparently, part of the phenomenal growth of mobile internet usage in Nigeria stemmed from the widespread practice of illegal free browsing, as subscribers generally by-passed network tolls (usually by tweaking certain settings in Opera Mini itself, alongsideother applications on PC).

Of recent, it has been reported that both MTN Nigeria and Zain Nigeria took steps to curb this practice, blocking off access to Opera Mini’s servers, and thus resulting in the recorded drop in usage. If the networks are able to keep hackers off their mobile internet services, we can expect to see Nigeria drop further on the Opera Mini chart.

Those rooting for illegal free browsing because of supposed high mobile internet tariffs need to explore legal options. For example, the very same Opera Mini that the hackers use to bypass network tolls deliver incredible savings on browsing because of its compression technology.

Personally, I have used Opera Mini extensively and even with my heavy usage, a 100mb bundle subscription (costing just N1, 000 per month) is more than adequate when used on Opera Mini. Even pay-as-you-go internet is made much more economical.

This is an application that already helps the subscriber cut costs by as much as 90% (that’s almost free browsing, if you really, really think of it).

Is it too much to let the network operators make that small margin just so they can keep access to the Opera Mini servers alive? In my opinion, this free browsing craze is not the product of poverty, but of gross selfishness, self-centredness and of corrupt minds.

But what do we care?

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This morning, Dayo notified me of the availability of Opera Mini 5.0 beta. What was exciting about the news was the mention that this version comes with multiple tabs!

I downloaded the new beta and gave it a quick go. My quick verdict: it rocks!

The tabs menu lets you open a new tab or switch between open tabs.

Opera Mini 5 beta features Speed Dial functionality similar to what obtains on Opera for PC. This is in a 3-column format with thumbnails giving you quick access to your favourite websites when a new tab is opened. You click on an empty slot to add a new speed dial.

The touchscreen version I am using on the X1 actually has touch functionaility. Tap and hold a spot on the page and a menu pops up to select text. Tap and hold a link and you get the options to open in a new tab or select text.

It also features an onscreen QWERTY keyboard that pops up anytime you need to enter text. Nifty.

There is a horizontal row of options at the bottom of the page. Tap the Settings icon and a row of options including Bookmarks, History, Saved Pages, Settings and more, pop up. Its all very intuitive.

Along with the usual suspects are full screen and other advanced options.

This version of Opera Mobile mimics the layout of the standard Opera Mobile browser quite well, and I am already thinking of adopting it as my default browser.

I really do like this version of Opera Mini.

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In the latest State of the Mobile Web report by Opera (April 2009), Nigeria continues to show impressive growth in the use of the mobile web, piping Poland to take the number 9 spot on the global top 10 list.

This is right along our projections here at MobilityNigeria. Nigeria has a population of over 140 million people, with a significant army of young people and small businesses who are discovering the benefits of internet access via their mobiles.

Recent launches of 3G data services by mobile networks have helped too. Add to this the cost of obtaining personal computers, and the mobile phone simply provides a much-needed succour to these categories of users.

The full report is available at http://www.opera.com/smw/2009/04/

Also from the report is the list of top 10 handsets used by Nigerians with Opera Mini in April 2009.

Opera Mini Top handsets for April 2009

1. Nokia N70
2. Nokia 3110c
3. Sony Ericsson K750i
4. Nokia N72
5. Nokia 3230
6. Nokia 6600
7. Nokia 6630
8. Sony Ericsson K800i
9. Nokia N73
10. Sony Ericsson W810i

I am a geek. I love super gadgets, especially internet-connected super gadgets. In plain English, that means smartphones. Having used fourty different mobile phones in about seven years, almost all my primary devices at any point in time have been smartphones, and we are talking about the cream of the crop: The Ericsson R380s, Motorola A008, Nokia 9210, Sony Ericsson P800, Nokia 9500, and Nokia E90, among others.

And these super gadgets have more than proven themselves capable as laptop replacements where necesarry. With their powerful processors and advanced browsers, I have been able to consistently get 60% to 80% of my web tasks done on my smartphones.

Those tasks include:

- administering reseller hosting accounts via WHM and RC
- administering hosting accounts via Cpanel
- administering WordPress accounts, and
- online banking on various platforms
- watch movies and video podcasts

For years, I lived in the world of mobile bliss – the very cutting edge.

But something happened recently to stop me dead in my tracks. I purchased a lower mid-range QWERTY phone – the LG KS360. I wanted to see how well it could replace my E90, for example.

As I used this device from day to day, gradually has it dawned on me that totting smartphones around meant I was living in a world that is not the reality for the majority of mobile phone users.

The KS360 could not play certain video resolutions that I had taken for granted on devices like the E90 and the 5800. Its more basic browser could not handle the huge and complex Ajax-ridden pages that WordPress runs on. And as for WebHostManager and Cpanel… don’t even go there.

So, Dayo and I tried out some of these tasks on a few other basic phones to be sure. For example, the first two editions of my Venture Show video podcast were beyond the capabilities of devices like the KS360, Sony Ericsson T650i, and the Nokia 3600 – all phones that are likely to be found in the possession of the average Joe.

Reality check: the majority of mobile internet users, who fall within the bracket of low to mid-range phone users, would never be able to identify with my claims of being able to run my entire work schedule from the screen of a phone. Their phones simply do not possess the same capabilities as the phones that we geeks carry around.

We had been producing video and web content for smartphones. And we had ignored the majority of phone users.

It is my opinion that until mobile web designers and developers target the more basic phones, such that the majority of phone users can use their basic phones to access vital web services, the mobile web won’t really succeed in mainstream society.

Opera Mini is the success that it is because it afforded the guy with an average phone to access certain websites that he would otherwise not have been able to access on his mobile. Opera Mini put the mobile web in the hands of the masses.

Do we then leave it to mobile browser developers alone to address site accessibility? That sounds like a bad idea. A better approach would be for mobile website designers to take the more basic mobile browsers into consideration in the design process, such that regardless of the capability of the browser being used, there is a guarantee that a site would work well on that browser.

Being a geek can be an illusion. Because we enjoy playing with advanced toys, we often forget that the world is more acquainted with more basic toys, and that it is such lower-end toys we should target and test on.

No; I am not throwing away my smartphone. And I am not advocating against smartphones and high-end, high-capacity mobiles.

I must admit that coming from a background like mine, using a mid-range non-smartphone like the KS360 as my primary device is terribly a little painful. But it is a move that is helping me face and identify the real problems that those I am designing for face when accessing the web on their mobile phones. Perhaps then, this new pain, albeit temporary, is one that is worth it.

In february, Mobility Nigeria featured a news item on Armenia and Nigeria leading Mobile Web Growth in 2008.

In that article, our editorial team stated as follows:

But at the current growth rate that Nigeria is pushing, it shouldn’t be long before the West African country shows up on the Top 10 list – and probably climb all the way to the top. Nigeria is currently number 12 on the Top 35 countries (unique users) list.

Approximately two months later, that prediction has come to pass.

In an email update we received from Opera this morning, the company stated that “a surge of Opera Mini usage in Nigeria pushed that country into the top 10, displacing Germany“.

For years, I repeatedly stated that mobile is the future of the web. No; desktops and notebooks won’t go away, but mobile devices will become the de facto means of accessing the web. Today, more people access the web via mobile than via PCs. I am not a prophet. But I did say so – years ago.

Here’s a supporting quote from Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera:

“A mobile phone will be the device most people use to access the Web. As millions of people each month discover the Web through Opera Mini, content providers have an incredible opportunity to seize competitive advantage in this new medium. By simply ensuring their content works on any device, they will open themselves to the next generation of Web users.”

I couldn’t have put it better than that.

Related Links:
1. Mobile Data: Bridging The Internet Divide In Africa
2. A Case for Mobile Data

Here’s a short video clip of the LG KS360 QWERTY keyboard device. My full review still on the way!

LG KS360 Video (6.2mb)

If you have reason to use Opera Mini regularly, one of the limitations you may have run into is that of not being able to open multiple windows. Well, here’s a blast from the past that from the days of the good old Russian hacks of this mobile browser: Opera Mini 3.10!

This version of Opera Mini lets you open multiple windows while browsing. It is also highly customisable: modify the colour of tabs, menus, links – everything!

Download: Opera Mini v3.10. Important! It is recommended that you download to your PC and then install to your phone via PC.

No; this is not an April Fool’s gimmick Here’s a screenshot of the app running on the Nokia E90:

Here is my list of applications that are absolutely important that I install on any s60 device I purchase. The rather interesting thing about my list is that it features apps that are absolutely free.

Here is my list in no particular order of their importance to me, along with my commentary on each application.

1. Shozu: Shozu is an application that allows you to upload pictures and videos to some of the most popular social networking sites like Facebook and Flickr. The majority of my pictures on Facebook were uploaded directly from my phone using Shozu.

2. Slick: Slick is an instant messaging (IM) application that allows you stay in touch with friends and families via very well known IM services like Yahoo, Gtalk etc.

I’d like to say that it was Yomi who recently introduced me to Slick, and it has become my preferred IM application amongst the others I have used.

3. Opera Mini: Opera Mini has proved to be an indispensable browser application for me. Its compression technology, fit to screen feature, and the good page-loading speed are part of the many reasons I consider Opera Mini a must-have app on my phones.

4. Bible Reader: As the name suggests, this application allows me read the Bible on my phone. The beauty of Bible Reader (from OliveTree) is that I can have more than one translation of the Bible installed. This is another application that’s indispensable for me as I don’t even have a hard copy bible anymore.

5. Active File: This is a file manager I use as an alternative to the built-in one. Actually, I use about three of them, but this is on top of the list because it has a feature that lets users keep the back light of their phones on for as long as the battery lasts. This is a useful feature for when you need to do a considerable amount of reading on your phone.

6. Screenshot: This application takes screenshots of whatever is on your phone’s display. All the screenshots in our reviews are produced using this application.

There you have it, applications that make s60 phones worth owning for me. In case you’re wondering where to get these apps, I suggest you do a Google search of each of them. They are readily available on a number of websites.

Do you have any must-have mobile apps?

Opera’s State of the Mobile Web presents the statistics for mobile web usage from January 2008 to January 2009 – and the fastest growing mobile web countries are Armenia (with over 2800% growth), followed by Nigeria (with 1854% growth).

According to the report, which is based on usage of the extremely popular Opera Mini browser for mobile phones, other notable countries include: Egypt (1391%), Philippines (570%) and Kazakhstan (419%).

Nigeria is still not in the top 10 countries for Opera Mini usage (ranked by # of unique users). Here’s that list:

1. Russia
2. Indonesia
3. Ukraine
4. China
5. India
6. South Africa
7. United States
8. United Kingdom
9. Poland
10. Germany

But at the current growth rate that Nigeria is pushing, it shouldn’t be long before the West African country shows up on the Top 10 list – and probably climb all the way to the top. Nigeria is currently number 12 on the Top 35 countries (unique users) list.

With a huge chunk of the country’s geographical mass now being covered by fast-growing GSM networks, internet access has reached many hitherto unreachable places for the first time in Nigeria.

And with more people owning and/or having access to mobile phones than PCs, the mobile internet is set to be the next big thing in the country. Nigeria has a population of over 150 million people, most of whom have no access yet to the internet.

The full report is available at: Opera: State of the Mobile Web report.