There’s been a lot of press about the Opera Mini browser lately — and most of it very positive. Now as the hype is hitting a steady hum, I thought I’d chime in with some thoughts — my user experience and how it is going to change me. It is common to hear about how people change their behavior to meet technology — you ask for some functionality in an application or from a device and what you get is something far less than what you expected, or wanted — so you change, you deal.

I haven’t been as aggressive as Rich in searching for the best device, but ever since I left Japan two years ago, I’ve been looking for a device that I can really browse on — even if the formatting is challenged — and check my email on. I never looked hard for a high-end device, nor did I try and find the best device (didn’t want to pay too much).

I feel like I’ve been changing my behavior on my previous phones: the Motorola V600 and a short stint on a Sony Ericsson. I had to use Bloomberg WAP site on both those phones to get news about markets, and I couldn’t check email easily, nor could I ever hope to open a website like Amazon. Then I started using a RAZR — I love the form factor most of all, and I don’t drop it as much as my previous phones. Feeling cool was good, but I was still feeling limited. The RAZR had the same UI and ancient Motorola OS that my V600 had — I had the same limited range of browsing options, but then I installed the Opera Mini browser…

Now, finally I’m going to use data on my mobile — and you know what? As the word of mouth spreads, so are many more people. I find myself filling my free time with data usage — I feel like being an evangelist for a mobile app. I want my friends and family to know how great it is.

Here’s how I’ve used it: I was in Barnes and Noble last weekend and I checked my Amazon WishList, then I checked my recent order status. I was in France over Christmas I used Opera Mini to check my email for work, to check my personal email, to read the newspaper, to look up words as I read some political editorial in Le Figaro on the metro. Now when I go stand in a line at In and Out Burgers near LAX, I can check my Bloglines feeds (despite a occasional out of memory error, it still shows what it can without crashing). Finally I’m catching up with my former mobile self still stuck in Japan in late 2003/2004.

This is all good news! Apps like this, outside of carrier and even manufacturer’s standard offerings, are going to open up the possibilities for mobile applications, for the mobile marketplace and awareness in general. This is the beginning.