Red Herring reports today on an exclusive partnership between underdog web browser Opera and Thales, a company specializing in in-flight entertainment systems. As part of the agreement, Opera’s browser will be included in Thales’ TopSeries system currently being used by some 15 airlines. Key to the partnership, which will run for a year, is likely Opera’s internationalization features, which make globalization much simpler because of the software’s support for multiple languages. As RH points out, this partnership is a clear indication of Opera’s desire to move beyond the traditional (i.e. home or office) market, moving into embedded devices as a source of additional revenue. Considering the fact that Opera’s basically been a perennial “also ran” in the browser wars (out since 1995, it still commands an estimated 1 percent of the market). According to the article, nearly two-thirds of the company’s revenue already comes from embedded devices, and with its recent decision to offer the product for free, this path is likely a clear indicator of the way things are going for the company. With the ongoing proliferation of mobile devices able to browse the web, I can’t help but agree with Opera’s decision to place a high level of emphasis on this, but when the day is done I still enjoy my computer and a screen bigger than 2.5 inches. Then again, I’m sure there’s plenty of room for both.
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