| Opera 9 browser targets Windows CE gadgets |
Oct. 03, 2006
 Opera Software has released a browser SDK (software development kit) for Windows CE devices. Opera 9 SDK for Devices aims the company's latest website rendering and navigation technologies at a wide range of devices, including portable media players, remote controls, set-top boxes, and automotive infotainment systems, the company says.
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According to Opera, Opera 9 "brings the full Internet to connected devices" and helps Windows CE developers to quickly integrate the Opera browser to create web applications, widgets, and dynamic user interfaces.
Opera Widgets are small programs written using Web standards such as AJAX, HTML, JavaScript, XML, CSS, DOM, RSS, SVG, and Canvas. They are rendered outside of the browser window, and without window decorations, and thus appear to be standalone applications supporting partial- and full-screen modes, as well as on- and off-line operation.
    
Opera Widget examples
Widgets are named with a .wdgt extension, and are served from httpd daemons configured to associate the extension with an "application/x-opera-widgets" document type.
Other aspects of the browser's device-oriented capabilities include an Extensible Rendering Architecture (ERA) that tailors websites to fit in any screen size; fast JavaScript and rendering engines; support for dynamic AJAX applications; and, a full-featured, configurable user interface, Opera says.
The company claims that its ERA technology can dynamically re-format web pages for display sizes that range from two-inch LCDs to "giant" 16:9 flat-panel TV screens. Other key features include anti-flicker technology and TV-optimized fonts, which result in "steady images on traditional CRT screens," Opera says.
Opera 9 SDK for Devices architecture
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Opera says the SDK for Devices provides a set of "powerful, well-documented, and developer-friendly APIs" that allow developers to customize many browser features. "This enables developers to take full control of the look and feel of their implementation and integrate Opera with other device software," the company states.
Additionally, the SDK supports a broad range of processor architectures, including ARM, x86, MIPS, and PowerPC. Minimum recommended resources include a 150 MHz processor, 3 to 4 MB of flash memory (depending on architecture), and 16 MB of RAM available to the browser.
Scott Hedrick, Executive VP for Devices at Opera Software, stated, "This is exciting for Opera, as Windows CE has become a popular platform for connected devices. Device developers have discovered the benefits of Opera's great usability, performance, and unique rendering technology, and now it comes in another Microsoft offering."
Last May, Opera introduced Opera Mobile 8.6, which supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and 2003 SE devices.
Further details on the Opera 9 SDK for Devices are available on the company's website, here
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