After iPad, Opera brings Coast for iPhone: Casual browsing experience for a smaller screen

After seeing success with the Coast browser designed for the iPad , Opera has now released it for the iPhone.

Coast for iPhone brings the same casual browsing experience that we saw on the iPad for a smaller screen. It’s been designed by the same team which did the tablet version.

“Like everyone who owns an iPhone, I’ve often picked it up when waiting for something or someone,” says Huib Kleinhout, Product Manager on the Opera Coast project at Opera Software, who explained to us in the past about how his team went about designing the browser.   “I was never quite happy with how apps and browsers kind of got in the way of the content. With Opera Coast, we have made content the main star of the show, letting the browser app itself get out of the way when you just want to kill some time. It’s the way the web was meant to be enjoyed.”

Opera says text and image placement has been re-thought and redesigned from previous mobile browsing experiences, to make sure it firs perfectly for the iPhone. With minimal buttons, Coast hopes to rely on gestures for navigation between tabs and accessing various features of the browser.

Coast for iPhone brings related keyword search and site suggestions in the URL bar. It will also provide suggestions for possible sites based on what you type. It’s said to reduce the amount of time you spend on a virtual keyboard within the browser. Opera Coast comes with the same site tile grid that’s become a familiar feature in Opera browsers. It will also help users discover new sites with the ‘Stuff we like’ tab.

Opera Coast can sync pages and websites between your iPhone and iPad, if you are using the same browser on both devices. Opera Coast is available from today for iPhone and iPad as a free download in the App Store.