Opera Mini Browser updated – we take a quick look

Opera Mini Browser received a huge update recently that seemed to change everything about the browser. The UI saw a significant revamp and more features were added such as gesture controls, new omnibar support, and even some data compression and data saving features were implemented. With all these changes, we figured it was worth taking a quick look!  It might as well be a whole new browser so we wanted to take a closer quick look.

Design

Opera Mini’s new design is both clean and functional although it does take a moment to get used to. The omnibar is at the top along with a plus symbol for adding bookmarks. The bottom houses the menu button (which is just the Opera logo), tab controls, a button to take you to the Speed Dial feature, and back and forward buttons.

Inside the menu, you’ll see your data savings but more on that in a minute. Below that you’ll see four buttons for history, find-in-page functionality, a share button, and a button to close the tab. You can also access your downloads and the app settings below that.

In the settings you’ll be able to change the app layout depending on your preferences, determine new tab behaviors, change text size, access full screen features, and some advanced features like cookies, text wrap, protocol, and network test to see if you have a functioning connection. For power users, and others that like to have more control over their browsing experience, these features are a boon for control and functionality.

Overall, I found the experience to be quite nice and refreshing, as Opera puts a lot of controls in a relatively small amount of space and made them large and noticeable enough to find easily. That’s something that other browsers could definitely learn from.

Functionality

Along with the app comes a data compression feature that attempts to minimize how much data you use when you browse the web. In many cases, it’s highly functional and we managed to use about 10% of the data we would have using other browsers. If you’re one to want to conserve data consumption on mobile, or for other reasons, this is something to definitely take note of.

Opera’s data compression system is very aggressive which should help those who live in areas with slower network connections. The compression will also almost certainly help those on capped data plans to save more data.

The Speed Dial feature has been present in Opera’s main browser for a while and Opera Mini is no different. The Speed Dial allows you to set up sites you go to frequently so you can get there very quickly. You can also find your bookmarks, sites you saved for offline reading, and even a somewhat customizable news feed to keep you caught up on whatever kind of news you enjoy.

During our testing, we visited 50 websites in total and all 50 of them loaded relatively quickly. A few had some graphical and text formatting errors that are likely a result of Opera’s data compression but at no point did the websites cease to function as they should. A few larger websites may load more slowly than expected but there were very few instances where it was so slow that it was annoying.

Also included in the latest update is private tabs similar to Google’s incognito mode. You can also swipe to close tabs, swipe to delete bookmarks, and swipe up to search.

Overall

Pros:

• The new UI revamp is clean and functional.
• Dedicated tablet layout and two phone layouts that you can switch between.
• Data compression saves you a lot of data.
• Bookmarks can be synced across devices including computers.
• Speed Dial is as useful as ever.
• New private tab lets you browse without saving cookies or web history.

Cons:

• Occasional graphical glitches on websites, likely from data compression.
• likely from data compression.
• Some sites may load slowly.
• There doesn’t appear to be a way to turn data compression off.

Overall, this is a positive update for Opera Mini. It brings a lot of the features and looks from Opera’s full fledged browser and the performance is still very good. The data compression is fantastic and very helpful for those with limited data plans and connections. With the new features and looks, Opera Mini is now brought up to date with current browser options which is only a good thing. If you want to check it out, click the button!

Should we be worried about Android app permissions?

If you’re really honest, do you actually read the permissions that Android apps are asking for before you install them? If you do, then there’s little doubt that you’re in the minority. Most of us treat them like terms and conditions, blindly clicking, or tapping, our way through. Is this something we should be taking more seriously? What are we actually giving away here?

Developers are well aware that most people don’t pay much attention to permissions and a lot of them have been surreptitiously adding more and more permissions to the list. Take a look at this chart of permissions for some of the most popular apps and games around.

http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=55264ee8c9a61d2a0b597bc3&t=37e1d6874d7281a

Do these apps really need all these permissions? If you dig into the list, which you can find via the View details link under Permissions on the Play Store page for each app, then you’ll find some pretty puzzling requests.

The popular game Cut the Rope, for example, requests permission for your Location and yet the Privacy Policy from developer, ZeptoLab, specifically states “Geo-Location Data. ZeptoLab does not ask you for, access, or track any location based information at any time while downloading or using ZeptoLab’s mobile applications or services.”

I emailed and asked about it and here’s what Community Manager, Olga Antsiferova told me,

“Location data is needed for advertising SDKs to show people the ads which are relevant to their country. It is also used in both free and paid version of our games to identify countries with COPPA law. Finally, it is used in analytics, but it is important to understand that we gather only general, not personified info (i.e. “today we received 10k downloads from UK”) and we do not track individual devices.”

I’m not singling Cut the Rope out for any particular reason, by the way. You could pick an app at random and probably find a permission that’s puzzling at first glance.

What’s the problem?

A spotlight, or flashlight, was thrown on the issue a while back when popular free app Brightest Flashlight turned out to be selling location data and device ID information to third party advertisers. It transpired that it was far from the only app engaging in a fire sale of our personal data. A lot of flashlight apps are asking for permissions they absolutely do not need to function. It’s not a phenomenon that’s restricted to flashlight apps.

In all likelihood what we’re talking about here is the sale of anonymized data to advertisers, so that developers can generate a little extra cash. Some of you might be okay with that. But you’re actually putting a lot of trust in these developers. It’s one thing to trust that Google isn’t going to do anything untoward with your personal data (and some people struggle with that idea), but how much do you know about the publishers and developers behind the apps you’re using, or the third-party advertising networks that they work with?

Is there a worse scenario? Are you giving them the permission to do things like upload all your personal photos to a web server or sell your contacts list? While it may be technically possible in some instances, it’s extremely unlikely that they’re actually doing that, it’s illegal and they wouldn’t get away with it for long. The most likely explanation is generally innocuous — an app might want access to your photos to allow you to upload an image directly in the app without having to jump through hoops or quit the app and start up the gallery app.

The problem is that most people don’t really know what the permissions mean, they aren’t willing to research it, and they don’t want to have to. What they really want is to be able to trust that someone else is looking out for them.

Google does have your back, up to a point

The Play Store is pretty secure. Google does a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the apps on offer are safe. Most of the scaremongering about malware on Android is designed to sell security apps. If you only ever download apps from the Play Store with high numbers of downloads and a good review score, and you don’t tick the Unknown sources box in Settings > Security then you realistically have nothing serious to worry about.

Quartz

The trouble kicks in if you’re concerned about privacy. If you don’t like the idea of giving strangers potential access to a lot of personal data. If you don’t like the idea of them collecting information about your habits. There’s a gray area of acceptability there that Google isn’t policing.

Your only real option if you don’t like the permissions that an app is requesting is to not install it. But, why is that the case?

Puzzling changes

Google simplified app permissions last summer (some people will say dumbed down) and things are grouped into sections now. This was supposed to make it easier for people, but it actually makes it tougher to see what specific permissions you are granting. It also means that an app can request a new permission in an update and if you’ve already granted a permission in that section it’s automatically granted without your say-so.

We need better control over permissions

There are a lot of other ways this could work. You could be asked for a permission when an app actually needs to use it, but this could arguably impair the user experience. You could also have a clear menu where you can go in and deny specific permissions, or tell the app to ask when it needs that permission. Something like App Ops which Google rolled out and then retracted.

Google brought App Ops out in Android 4.3, though it was never advertised. It was quietly removed in Android 4.4.2. It allowed you to revoke specific permissions for apps. Officially Google claimed it was only ever intended for developers. It’s possible part of the reason it was removed was to prevent stability issues for apps if users started revoking permissions all over the place, but realistically it probably had a lot more to do with advertising revenue. If you could use free apps and easily block permissions that generate ads (and revenue for the developers) then you probably would, right? That could make Android app development unprofitable for many.

What can you do?

The bottom line is that most developers are asking for permissions because of some function or feature in the app and the request is legitimate. There’s another tier of apps that are trying to turn a profit by selling anonymized data. Unfortunately it’s not always easy for the average person to tell the difference. If you’re concerned, then make sure you read the permissions and the privacy policy. There’s no substitute for doing a little digging to see what you can uncover. If you routinely download apps from outside the Play Store then you really can’t afford to ignore permissions.

You can find a bunch of permission managers in the Play Store, many confusingly called App Ops or some variant. If you’re rooted then check out X Privacy Installer for smart protection that won’t make the apps fail.

Tell us what you think. Do you read app permissions before every install? Are you worried about leaking personal info? Do you care about anonymized data for advertisers? Is Google doing enough to protect our privacy?

Should we be worried about Android app permissions?

If you’re really honest, do you actually read the permissions that Android apps are asking for before you install them? If you do, then there’s little doubt that you’re in the minority. Most of us treat them like terms and conditions, blindly clicking, or tapping, our way through. Is this something we should be taking more seriously? What are we actually giving away here?

Developers are well aware that most people don’t pay much attention to permissions and a lot of them have been surreptitiously adding more and more permissions to the list. Take a look at this chart of permissions for some of the most popular apps and games around.

http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=55264ee8c9a61d2a0b597bc3&t=37e1d6874d7281a

Do these apps really need all these permissions? If you dig into the list, which you can find via the View details link under Permissions on the Play Store page for each app, then you’ll find some pretty puzzling requests.

The popular game Cut the Rope, for example, requests permission for your Location and yet the Privacy Policy from developer, ZeptoLab, specifically states “Geo-Location Data. ZeptoLab does not ask you for, access, or track any location based information at any time while downloading or using ZeptoLab’s mobile applications or services.”

I emailed and asked about it and here’s what Community Manager, Olga Antsiferova told me,

“Location data is needed for advertising SDKs to show people the ads which are relevant to their country. It is also used in both free and paid version of our games to identify countries with COPPA law. Finally, it is used in analytics, but it is important to understand that we gather only general, not personified info (i.e. “today we received 10k downloads from UK”) and we do not track individual devices.”

I’m not singling Cut the Rope out for any particular reason, by the way. You could pick an app at random and probably find a permission that’s puzzling at first glance.

What’s the problem?

A spotlight, or flashlight, was thrown on the issue a while back when popular free app Brightest Flashlight turned out to be selling location data and device ID information to third party advertisers. It transpired that it was far from the only app engaging in a fire sale of our personal data. A lot of flashlight apps are asking for permissions they absolutely do not need to function. It’s not a phenomenon that’s restricted to flashlight apps.

In all likelihood what we’re talking about here is the sale of anonymized data to advertisers, so that developers can generate a little extra cash. Some of you might be okay with that. But you’re actually putting a lot of trust in these developers. It’s one thing to trust that Google isn’t going to do anything untoward with your personal data (and some people struggle with that idea), but how much do you know about the publishers and developers behind the apps you’re using, or the third-party advertising networks that they work with?

Is there a worse scenario? Are you giving them the permission to do things like upload all your personal photos to a web server or sell your contacts list? While it may be technically possible in some instances, it’s extremely unlikely that they’re actually doing that, it’s illegal and they wouldn’t get away with it for long. The most likely explanation is generally innocuous — an app might want access to your photos to allow you to upload an image directly in the app without having to jump through hoops or quit the app and start up the gallery app.

The problem is that most people don’t really know what the permissions mean, they aren’t willing to research it, and they don’t want to have to. What they really want is to be able to trust that someone else is looking out for them.

Google does have your back, up to a point

The Play Store is pretty secure. Google does a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the apps on offer are safe. Most of the scaremongering about malware on Android is designed to sell security apps. If you only ever download apps from the Play Store with high numbers of downloads and a good review score, and you don’t tick the Unknown sources box in Settings > Security then you realistically have nothing serious to worry about.

Quartz

The trouble kicks in if you’re concerned about privacy. If you don’t like the idea of giving strangers potential access to a lot of personal data. If you don’t like the idea of them collecting information about your habits. There’s a gray area of acceptability there that Google isn’t policing.

Your only real option if you don’t like the permissions that an app is requesting is to not install it. But, why is that the case?

Puzzling changes

Google simplified app permissions last summer (some people will say dumbed down) and things are grouped into sections now. This was supposed to make it easier for people, but it actually makes it tougher to see what specific permissions you are granting. It also means that an app can request a new permission in an update and if you’ve already granted a permission in that section it’s automatically granted without your say-so.

We need better control over permissions

There are a lot of other ways this could work. You could be asked for a permission when an app actually needs to use it, but this could arguably impair the user experience. You could also have a clear menu where you can go in and deny specific permissions, or tell the app to ask when it needs that permission. Something like App Ops which Google rolled out and then retracted.

Google brought App Ops out in Android 4.3, though it was never advertised. It was quietly removed in Android 4.4.2. It allowed you to revoke specific permissions for apps. Officially Google claimed it was only ever intended for developers. It’s possible part of the reason it was removed was to prevent stability issues for apps if users started revoking permissions all over the place, but realistically it probably had a lot more to do with advertising revenue. If you could use free apps and easily block permissions that generate ads (and revenue for the developers) then you probably would, right? That could make Android app development unprofitable for many.

What can you do?

The bottom line is that most developers are asking for permissions because of some function or feature in the app and the request is legitimate. There’s another tier of apps that are trying to turn a profit by selling anonymized data. Unfortunately it’s not always easy for the average person to tell the difference. If you’re concerned, then make sure you read the permissions and the privacy policy. There’s no substitute for doing a little digging to see what you can uncover. If you routinely download apps from outside the Play Store then you really can’t afford to ignore permissions.

You can find a bunch of permission managers in the Play Store, many confusingly called App Ops or some variant. If you’re rooted then check out X Privacy Installer for smart protection that won’t make the apps fail.

Tell us what you think. Do you read app permissions before every install? Are you worried about leaking personal info? Do you care about anonymized data for advertisers? Is Google doing enough to protect our privacy?