Opera Software and UIQ Technology, a fully owned subsidiary of Symbian Ltd., today announced that they have selected Opera to be the default browser in UIQ's UIQ 3.0, the new release of the UIQ Platform that is expected to be commercially available in Q4 2004.

The user interface is the part of an operating system that the end user sees on the screen and interacts with. UIQ is a user interface platform for Symbian OS. Until now, UIQ handsets have been positioned for the high-end market, necessitating pen-based, touch-screen devices such as Sony Ericsson's P800, P900 and P910 smartphones, BenQ's P30, Arima’s U300 and Motorola's A920, A925 and A1000 phones - handsets that all include Opera either in the firmware or as an added-value on the memory card. With the new UIQ 3.0, which includes Opera, UIQ Technology will offer users full interaction with one-handed operation for the first time, opening up a wider market for UIQ based devices.

"Opera has proven to be an excellent browser”, says Johan Sandberg, CEO, UIQ Technology. “Opera has the qualities we are looking for and will be a valuable part of UIQ 3.0. We are delighted to cooperate with Opera in order to continue developing successful and innovative mobile phones to the market”, he adds. “Opera has also proven to be a trusted vendor, which is important when selecting a partner.”

Having revolutionized the telecom industry with its introduction of Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology in 2002, Opera has become one of the most popular third-party application on Symbian OS. UIQ 3.0 will include Opera's full Web browser that provides access to all Internet pages users are accustomed to access from their desktop computers, together with support for WAP-technology.