One of the worlds most used mobile web browsers is headed to Android devices. Opera Mobile – the fully featured father of Opera Mini – will be free of charge.

Opera Mobile uses the presto layout engine, coupled with Opera’s Small Screen Rendering technology which dynamically reformats web pages for small screened devices.

There is no release date yet, but users can already download Opera Mini for Android today. Opera Mini is already installed on over 71 million hand held devices.

Below is a video demonstration of Opera Mobile which was shown over at TechCrunch.

Opera Mobile 10 has made it to the Maemo platform, with Opera releasing the first preview releases for the Nokia N900 and N800/N810 devices.

The release marks the return of the Opera browser to the Maemo platform, which hasn’t been supported since Nokia included it’s own internal browser with devices back in 2008.

“The preview build contains the same features available in Opera Mobile 10 for Symbian and Windows Mobile smartphones. These include fast and economical browsing with Opera Turbo, bookmark and Speed Dial sync with other Opera products, and of course multiple tabs” wrote Opera’s Fredrik Öhrn.

A full list of features can be read in the Opera Mobile 10 features list, while a download can be found by browsing to this URL on your Maemo device.

More releases of the browser are expected during the coming months before we see a final release.

Opera has released an emulator of it’s Opera Mobile browser to developers.

The application emulates Opera Mobile 10, and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Opera Mobile emulator now gives developers a tool to test how their website will look in the mobile browser, which allows for quick and easier development of mobile web applications.

“Testing mobile browsers usually requires Web developers to buy one or more devices on which they then can investigate how their Web sites perform. The Opera Mobile emulator is designed to make the whole testing effort a bit easier: you install a small, native application on the platform of your choice, and load Web pages from the comfort of your desktop” wrote Opera’s Andreas Bovens.

The download is free, and available today from the Opera Developer Network.

Opera have announced that Opera Mini is heading to the iPhone and iPod Touch today, after Apple approved the app for the devices.

This comes 20 days after Opera submitted the browser to Apple for approval.

“Opera Mini […] enables fast mobile Web browsing by compressing data by up to 90 percent before sending content to the device, resulting in significantly improved page loading. Users of the app will notice an uptake in speed, especially on slower networks such as the 2G Edge network. Surfing the Web with the Opera Mini App on iPhone and iPod touch will also help users save money because of its data compression capabilities” said a press release from Opera.

“We are delighted to offer iPhone and iPod touch users a great browsing experience with the Opera Mini App,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “This app is another step toward Opera’s goal of bringing the Web to more people in more places.”

The browser can be downloaded for free now from the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Opera have announced the availability of Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10 final.

Both mobile browser have been in development since at least October last year, and include many improvements over their predecessors.

The browser both include new tabbed browsing, a streamlined user interface, new faster JavaScript and HTML rendering engines.

Perhaps the best inclusion is Opera Turbo, which can compress data by as much as 90%, and save mobile browsers time and money.

A full list of features plus download links can be found on the Opera Mobile website.

Opera has released Opera Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile phones.

The mobile browser emulates the desktop feel, with a similar interface to Opera 10 and Opera Mini 5.

A full run down on features and a download link can be found on the Opera Mobile site.

A demo of Opera Mobile 10 in action is below:

Opera have just released Opera Mobile 9.7 Beta 1 to the web. The new version runs on the new Opera Presto 2.2 core.

The biggest new feature is Opera Turbo, which can compress data by up to 80% before it is sent to the mobile device, dramatically increasing web page loading times.

A full list of new features can be found in the new features list, while the browser can be downloaded from the Opera Mobile website.

Opera Mobile is now the most used mobile browser world wide according to SiteCounter for the month of May.

Opera Mobile took the lead for the month with 24.6% of the worldwide market compared to 22.3% for the iPhone. This statistic is a little misleading however, as with iPod touch added to the total, it comes to 37.32% market share.

Nokia came in third for the month with 17.9% market share.

Ford in-dash browsing

Ford today has announced a deal with Opera for new in-dash browsing.

The new dash is said to be in upcoming E and F-series vans and trucks utilising the Opera Mobile browser.

“Opera’s vision has always been about giving people access to the full Web anytime, anywhere. No example showcases this better than delivering a fast, feature-rich Web browser to a vehicle. This solution will allow Ford truck and van owners to maintain a virtual work environment with access to all of the important files, information, and applications they need on a daily basis” said Opera’s Rod Hamlin.

More details about the new dash can be found on the Ford Work Solutions website.

Opera Software is set to launch a massive advertising campaign designed to promote Opera Mobile products.

Opera’s Software SVP Rod Hamlin noted that “Over our history, we’ve spent zero [on advertising], so it’s a huge shift”.

On top of this, Opera has a billboard up near Microsoft’s Redmond campus reading “Be a Real Internet explorer? Opera.com.”

If anyone was doubting Opera’s place in the browser market, it seems like there is still hope left for the often forgotten browser.