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Running Opera Mini 4.1 on Windows Mobile

Posted by Ryan on June 3, 2008 – 10:30 pm  Share
closeThis post was published 1 year 5 months 22 days ago.
It\'s is possible that the information within this article is now out of date or updated.

As many of you may already know, Opera Mini is one of the best browsers out there for  mobile devices.  For us Tilt users there is one problem, the Tilt/TyTN II is not officially supported.  But don’t let that get you down, it actually works fine on the Tilt/TyTN II and many other Windows Mobile devices that are not listed on Opera’s site.

If you go to Opera Mini’s forums you will find that plenty of people post asking for help running it on a Windows Mobile device.  There is even a guide called The Symbian/Windows Mobile MIDlet (Java) Bible, but many find that this is too technical and very hard to understand.  The following guide is meant for the average, everyday phone user. 

If you do not use Opera Mini I would recommend you give it a try, its free and works great.  If you are still using Pocket Internet Explorer, you don’t know what your missing out on!  For those of you who want something like the iPhone browser, this is the closest you are going to get for a while.


Download a Signed Version
Screen005 If you have tried Opera Mini, you already know it is very annoying to say “yes, but ask next time” to give the application permission to connect to the Internet.  Using a signed version of the application tells the device that Opera Mini is not malicious software and is safe.  If you use a signed version of the application, you will be given the option “yes, this time and every time in the future”(or something along those lines) and that message wont come up again.

Signed versions of Opera Mini are available on their web site, but it is not easy to find them.  Use pocket Internet Explorer to browse to http://mini.opera.com.  Do not click the download link, instead click the like “If this version fails…”.  Then choose the first link on the next page, multiple certificates seems to work best for Windows Mobile.

Create shortcuts and make links open w/ Opera Mini
One of the problems with it being a java MIDlet rather than a Windows Mobile application is that it doesn’t make Start Menu shortcuts and other programs don’t open links with Opera Mini.  Luckily there is a (rather difficult) fix, but I have created installer files that should make this much simpler.

Screen004 When a java MIDlet is installed, it goes in the folder /windows/appdb and is given a application database number.  You will need to go to this folder and locate the Opera file’s number before continuing.  Open “File Browser” and go to the folder /windows/appdb.  You will need to look at the file called “s#_Suite”, replacing # with the various numbers you will see.  Find the one that has the date that you installed Opera Mini (If you did not install it today, you may want to re-install to make this step a bit easier).

Now, if your installation of Opera Mini went to s1, you will need to to select the cab file in the zip that is named “cab for s1.cab”(whatever number you found to be opera is the one you will choose, for me it was s1 and that is what is used in this example) and install it to make the shortcut and set Opera Mini as the default browser.

DOWNLOAD:  Cab files for Opera Mini WM6

This is a modified version of Shlomki’s mortscript which I found here.
My source for the Start Menu shortcut is here.

At this point I must apologize for the rather long post.  I tired to keep this as simple and short as possible.  For more details, I will be making a similar post  on The TiltSite Wiki with more details (and more pictures maybe?).  If you have any questions feel free to comment.  If you think I have made a mistake somewhere tell me and I will fix it.

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  • aligib
    Ryan

    Hi thanks for the info but I am running Windows 6.5 on my TyTN 1 and it just isn't working. There is no file called suite its just called Mini. I loaded up the cab files but this isn't working.

    How do I go from here please help.

    I had Opera Mini on my Nokia and it was awesome and so desperately want to get it on my TyTn.

    Thanks

    Alistair
    aligib@gmail.com
  • mary
    I installed the cab on my new Tilt and ran it....but what is supposed to be the result? I still can't find Opera Mini. Is it supposed to be in the Start menu? because I cant find it. Help! (some more...) Thanks
  • cel
    when i try to install a signed version of opera mini i get an error, it says that the certificate can not be checked!
    anyone?
  • Desmond
    i tried to d/l opera mini but said it wasnt found at this url
  • Desmond
    i tried to d/l opera mini and it says cannot be found at this url
  • Dr
    I ended up downloading it from my PC and copying over the file... It installed fine that way.
  • Dr
    I'm also stuck in the ‘installing midlet’ screen. I tried about 10 times over the past few days.. Any ideas?
    Running stock ROM/Java
  • Vikas
    About Skyfire - I have been using it for last month or so.. and really like it.

    however, to me, it seems like they are using technology similar to what is described for Opera Mini above - i.e. Instead of loading the the page on the phone itself - they seem to be loading it on a servers and then displaying it on your phone - meaning all the traffic is routed through their servers.

    Biggest concern here is security of data - do I want all the data routed through their servers ? and if yes, how safe it will be ?

    Again, it's just my observation - if someone has some concrete info on how it works, please share .

    regards,
  • Hey Ryan, thanks for all your help. I tried it again and for some reason this morning I had no problems installing it following your directsion, I am running the newest public ATT rom.

    Now when I get home I can install the shortcuts :)
  • Andrew, did you try downloading both files from the opera site? java will automatically launch when you click the links, but if you click exit you can go back to internet explorer and download the files to your device before you install.

    Also, are you using the original AT&T; ROM? have you upgraded your java MIDlet manager on your tilt at all?

    Please reply and tell us if any of this helps so I can improve the guide.
  • Thanks for the link Ryan, the problem is when i follow directions to install on my tilt, I just get 'installing midlet' 'mini.jad?cert=allrnd=1242477987edition=hifirel=4' until it times out saying it cant be found, obviously because of the missing &s, I tried downloading it from my desktop but I still need the jar, and using the one you can download from the site doesnt seem to work, any suggestions?
  • Tai, what is the java MIDlet manager you are using? The one that the previous TyTN II ROM had is Esmertec JBed and that is what this guide is written for.
  • Tai
    Hey i'm having problem locating the "s#_suite" because i just updated my htc tytn II to a WM6.1 and there is no folder called /windows/appdb can you help me out please thanks my email is taid_87@hotmail.com
  • Gary,
    I should have been a little bit more clear on that, I assumed everyone is as experienced as me.

    1. Download the zip file to your computer.
    2. Open the ZIP, in it you will find a several files labeled "cab for...". Select the file for your number and copy it (rightclick, copy or ctrl+c).
    3. Then paste it on your computer somewhere temporally (for some reason windows will not let you copy from a zip and paste it onto your mobile device).
    4. Now copy the new file and go to your "my computer" and select "mobile device"(while your phone is plugged in obviously) and paste it here.
    5. Now go on your phone, select file explorer and find the file on your device and run it to install.

    Let me know if you still dont understand, I can post screenshots soon, we are having some technical difficulties uploading images to the tiltsite wiki, but that is soon to be fixed. You shouldn't need to follow the links at the bottom unless you are interested in seeing how I made the installers.
  • Ted Rodriguez III
    ya opera mini is very easy to use but i still prefer the more powerful opera mobile 8.65. although i do load opera mini now whenever another non WinMo user uses my phone.
  • Gary
    I'm not following the create shortcuts and make links instructions. I've got the “s#_Suite” file identified. Where do I install the CAB file to from the zip file? And then, do I have to follow the instructions at one of the 2 links you posted immediately after the zipped cab file?
  • Spencer
    Opera Mini is nice if you're stylus surfing. It's not very friendly on the finger surfers. And I had problems with going to a new page and being zoomed in on a patch of white space, causing me to think that I had a page loading problem.
  • chris
    what does everyone think about skyfire?
  • Ted Rodriguez III
    i guess i just never gave it a try cause opera mobile worked so good for me on my tmobile dash. ill dl mini and give it a try.
  • Ted, although the names dont show it, there is a huge difference between Opera MINI and Opera MOBILE. I did not know this at first either.

    OPERA MOBILE is basically a scaled down version of a desktop browser that ran on Windows. It runs only on Windows Mobile. I think that if I had a mobile device with a screen about the size of an average paperback book (7" by 4"), then Opera Mini would be great. I no longer use Opera Mobile because it seemed to be slow and used a lot of my tilt's processing power.

    OPERA MINI is a browser that was designed specifically for mobile devices. To simplify the process, opera.com loads your webpage on their desktop, takes a picture of their screen and sends it to your phone. Just as we all have seen in the iPhone commercials, you see the whole page as you would on a computer then you browse in and pan to read text. It was made to be universal and work for all phones so it is a Java based program. So far it is my favorite mobile browser.
  • webedc
    Great tip on the signed cabs. Also great tip on making a short cut. These two things have been bothering me using Opera Mini (or any Java based midlets for that matter).
  • Ted Rodriguez III
    What about Opera 8.65 for Windows Mobile 8.65. That is the browser I use on my tilt and its by far the best. Go try it. 30 day free trial at

    http://www.opera.com/download/mobile/?man=Windo...

    Just go there on your tilt and you can download the cab directly.
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