[ Web 2.0 ]

Facebook should buy Dolphin Browser instead of Opera

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief May 27, 2012 · 2 min read

Listen to article

Instagram now lets users reorder their posts on their profile iOS 27 Adds Native Baybayin Keyboard to iPhone: Here is How to Enable It AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE announced GPD MicroPC 2 with Intel Core 3 N350 announced Nintendo Direct to unveil Switch 2 games for second half of 2026

There’s story spreading that Facebook is interested to buy Opera browser to create its own custom “social” browser and compete with the likes of Google, Apple and Microsoft.

It’s been revealed that one of Facebook’s biggest challenges is in mobile (one reason why they bought Instagram), the odds are stacked against it compared to in the desktop arena. There’s Google that also doing advertising (Adsense for Mobile) and has monopoly of the Android environment with its built-in browser, Apple which is also heavily pushing its own Safari browser on mobile and Microsoft with its big reach and distribution network to leverage IE Mobile on Windows Phone handsets.

That leaves Facebook very little to wiggle around when it comes to prime access on the mobile web, except of course thru the iOS and Android apps.

While the idea of owning and deploying a Facebook Browser might make sense, I am not as equally sure if Opera would be the right candidate for Facebook.

Yes, Opera claims it has over 200 million users (both desktop and mobile) so that’s a lot of users that Facebook can also acquire (we’re not yet discounting the overlap of users here which is probably more than half of that number).

Nevertheless, that’s hundreds of millions of users that Facebook will just eventually lose to either Chrome, IE9 (when Windows 8 comes), and Mozilla. So if Facebook is going to buy Opera, the only really useful part of that trade would be the mobile users. In the end, they will just waste half the money on Opera.

My suggestion for an alternative to Opera would be Dolphin Browser. It’s a good alternative — a mature, mobile-only browser that’s already have hundreds of thousands (and maybe even millions of users) already. It’s also highly rated, got good reviews, and is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It does not have a desktop browser, which Facebook does not need anyway (again their focus for acquisitions is always mobile).

Of course, Zuckerberg had bazillions of dollars to splurge on a buying spree and Opera might just look like spare change to him. I just thought Dolphin browser is the better browser between the two.

React to this article:

facebook opera

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

8,007 Articles

View all posts by Abe Olandres →

48 Comments

JC John Sese Cuneta · 14 years ago

Dolphin?! I definitely hope not. I don’t want such project to go into the hands of Facebook. We all know what and who “Facebook” is.

darryldose · 14 years ago

that would be good.

MDM782010 · 14 years ago

opera is the best on mobile browsing either android or symbian but on uploading and downloading files function forget about opera mobile.

hehehehe · 14 years ago

Lol! Iâ€˜m using dolphin browser now on my phone while Iâ€˜m typing this. ^_^

RaGe · 14 years ago

I prefer Boat browser than Dolphin…just my two cents :)

Dative Stardust · 14 years ago

Opera is top dog. Any web pro knows that.

showbiz · 14 years ago

I have tried dolphine browser for iphone and I have to agree, it’s really fast.

Lucy Kola · 14 years ago

I also agree with this and Facebook should be do it very early. I like dolphine for it’s fastness. Thanks for this allocation. :P

dTech · 14 years ago

I love dolphine! it’s sooooo fassssssssssst!

aze · 14 years ago

yes, i agree. once ko lang ginamit yung Opera sa android tapos nag uninstall na ko. the best talaga dolphin sa android.

Anti · 14 years ago

I couldn’t read this article due to all the grammatical mistakes. Geez! Who wrote this?

Facebook is a monumental waste of time!! Perfect for 3rd Worlders.

Jeremy · 14 years ago

Facebook is also planning to make their own phone to compete with iPhone, we’ll see how successful they become with building their own hardware.

Yahya · 14 years ago

I hope they fail miserably in such very much desperate attempt. They MIGHT become successful as they hired ex iPhone engineers from Apple. Wow.

Bob · 14 years ago

I also hope they buy something other than Opera, because that is the browser I use the most on the desktop and I would hate to see even more of Facebook links and such which would be the case if Opera was purchased by Facebook.

A little while ago I got my first ever Android phone and the first customization I did to it was remove Facebook and Twitter from it. I keep hoping that both of them are just another passing fad but with the endless need that people seem to have about telling the world about themselves it probably isn’t and will be around for a long time. But I do see they do serve the useful purpose of getting idiots fired from their job and arrested by the police because they just have to let the world know every detail of their lives so that is one useful purpose they serve society.

me! · 14 years ago

hater?, loner? hahahaha

Benchmark · 14 years ago

perhaps you can check this video
http://www.bodycopybyjake.com/Going-Amish

jayb · 14 years ago

Opera has different web rendering engine that will distinguish them from other browser unlike dolphin. they also has many products(desktop, mobile, tv, game console)that generate over 100 million profit annually.

jayb · 14 years ago

they also have. . . hehe

Benchmark · 14 years ago

I just downloaded Dolphone Browser, and yes, I think this is better than opera. I’ve been using it coz its like mozilla in mobile phone (sorry mozilla, your mobile browser sucks big time!). And I never thought dolphine browser would be better than it’s built in browser. I just relied on the rating, and since then I’ve been using Dolphine browser. :)

Yahya · 14 years ago

Facebook’s desperate enough to do almost anything just to ‘conquer the world’ like what Apple and Google are doing. Wow, fuck off already.

Ben S · 14 years ago

if facebook’s about reach, then they might be thingking that making a desktop branch might be just as expensive as buying the more popular opera brand.

bakamann · 14 years ago

Opera? I just wish that they should just take Rockmelt browser off the Chromium pattern and develop a new software from there…

Since Rockmelt is already a ‘facebook browser’ or something like that…

Jan L · 14 years ago

Yep, Rockmelt’s a better alternative desktop-wise. The mobile counterpart sucks though.

Gray · 14 years ago

Well, the problem with that is that is what you already stated. They have to develop a software for it which cancels the point of buying. Buying Opera means they already have the software (and a wonderful one). All they need to do is integrate facebook on it.