Opera introduces an easy-stream solution

Rating: V 10.10 serves content from your PC to your mobile

Obviously the easiest way to move content from a PC or existing handset to a new mobile phone would be side-loading it from a memory card. But in many cases such a procedure is complex, time-consuming and fraught with problems. Problem solved with Opera version 10.10.

What Opera 10.10 does is turn your desktop computer into a personal content server and makes the PC’s entire file collection easily accessible via a handset’s browser.

This facility is provided inside Opera’s Windows compatible browser via a new facility named Unite. In order to get Unite working, it’s necessary to sign up for the My Opera service – which is straightforward.

The next step is to decide what content to publish on the Net. There’s three main options: file, photo, and music sharing. Such a capability means has obvious benefits.

“Have you ever streamed your entire music library to another computer, mobile phone or game console?” Opera asks. Well, thanks to unite, this can be done very simply. All a user actually needs is a data connection and to leave the PC powered up.

GoMo News still has bad memories of the iTunes compatible Motorola handset, the Rokr E1. The supplied software downloaded an arbitrary number of music tracks to the handset - which were restricted to 100 in total. That’s the kind of behaviour which makes people dislike Apple.

So with Opera Unite, it’s possible to post an entire (hopefully legal) collection of tracks onto the Net and download individual items to a mobile phone as and when desired.

Unite gives users the option to make files public or password protect them for friends and family. It’s a great way of distributing a funny photo to all and sundry, for example.

Given that Nokia’s PC suite can prove quite temperamental and that many subscribers have an unlimited data tariff, Unite could well catch on in mobile circles.