The newly released Opera Mini offers an alternative web browser for iPhone users. Until the roll-out of iPhone 4.0, tabbed browsing is probably the closest thing to multi-tasking experience on the iPhone. Opera’s tabbed browsing offers a tad different experience, compared to Safari browser. Safari adopts a zoom-out-flip-select-zoom-in approach whereas Opera Mini offers, well, tabs.

On Safari browser, the maximum number of tabs open at once is 8. For Opera Mini iPhone app, the maximum total tabs I managed to open is 38. Maybe that’s the maximum tabs, set by Opera. Maybe, it’s because with more tabs, the add-tab section becomes narrower until it becomes the untouchable zone.

With 10 tabs, it’s still easy to switch between tabs (see image below). But beyond 15 tabs, it’s becoming harder to tap the tabs. Also, tabs arrangement tends to disarray whenever you switch tabs. So, it doesn’t mean you can have many, many tabs open, you should. For Opera Mini iPhone app, the optimum number of tabs lies in between 10 and 15.

On Becoming Untouchable Tabs on Opera Mini iPhone

tab tab Opera Mini: how many is too many on iPhone? originally appeared on GreyReview on April 13, 2010.

New Scientist looks at Apple filed patents for hints on the upcoming Apple tablet. One is hover, under filing In addition to touch, users can hover over an element on the screen to activate it. Patents Filing: Simultaneous Sensing Arrangement with “touch sensing devices can include multiple sense points, each located at a crossing of a drive line and a sense line.” and just granted patent, Noise Detection in Multi-touch Sensors as “touch sensing devices can include multiple sense points, each of which can be stimulated with a plurality of periodic waveforms having different frequencies to measure a touch value at the sense point. Noise at one or more of the frequencies can interfere with this measurement.”

Second is gestures, where users interact with onscreen elements using gestures. Patents filing: Multi-Touch Gestures Dictionary that “..include a variety of motions associated with the chord and the meanings of gestures formed from the chord and the motions” and Swipe Gestures for Touch Screen Keyboards which “allow for a user entering text using the virtual keyboard to perform certain functions using swipes across the key area rather than tapping particular keys.”

Let’s wait and see if these features are available in Apple’s latest creation. ¶ @zhiQ

Swivel Screen and Stylus Are Ancient; Get Ready to Hover and Gesture originally appeared on GreyReview on January 27, 2010.

Maxis Communications Bhd, Malaysian’s largest mobile communication provider, yesterday announced the launch date of iPhone 3G in Malaysia. Leading up to the announcement, Twitterville is abuzz with chats on its pricing plans and other issues.

If you’ve missed the fun on Twitterville yesterday with #iphonemalaysia, here the Top 5 interesting ‘moments’ of Maxis iPhone 3G Pre-Launch Day, spotted on Twitter (and elsewhere on the Web).

TRUEmor

At 10.25 am yesterday, Twitter user @blogjunkie tweeted about an imminent iPhone 3G announcement by Maxis later in the day.

However, as early as February 23 2009, @kamal already heard from his sources about iPhone 3G launch in Malaysia.

I Saw the Sign

The iPhone 3G pages on Maxis’ website went live just after 11am. This is probably the first ‘official’ sign confirming the impending annoucement.

Oops! It’s Temporary Unavailable

However, the iPhone 3G site went offline after it went live. When it came back online in the afternoon, its pricing plan is slightly different from its earlier version.

Amusing Ads

It’s quite amusing to read the copy of this Google Ads of Maxis iPhone 3G (particularly “Malaysia Phone from Maxis.”

Opinionated Tweets

There are over 250 tweets with hashtag #iphonemalaysia; the hashtag made to the Top 10 Trending topics on Twitter Search.

It’s quite a challenge to create marketing buzz around iPhone 3G phone, as it’s on the market since July 2008. Maxis should instead create a buzz around what it can control, such as its pricing plan. But, based on reactions from many Twitter users, its pricing plan failed to excite. What do you think? How do you think Maxis can leverage on social media for its iPhone 3G official launch in Malaysia on March 20 2009? Share your thoughts on Twitter; find me @limyh

Top 5 Moments of Maxis iPhone 3G Pre-Launch Day originally appeared on GreyReview on March 12, 2009.