Opera Software and Virtual Mechanics partnered to integrate the Opera Web browser into Virtual Mechanics' Web authoring tool, Web Engine, currently in public beta. Instead of spending hours spawning multiple, different sites to accommodate varying screen sizes and resolutions, anyone from hobbyists to high-end Web designers can create a Web presence that works perfectly regardless of the device used to access it. By incorporating Opera developers have an easy to use, yet powerful tool to create Web content for a variety of devices including PCs, PDAs and mobile phones. Web Engine exports to HTML, DHTML, and SVG.

Developers prefer to spend their time creating, rather than testing, said Peter White, CEO, Virtual Mechanics. With Opera integrated, developers can build a site and then immediately test how it renders on screens of any size. This radically cuts site development costs by reducing testing time and additional strain to produce mobile or PDA-specific sites.

Both Opera and Virtual Mechanics support a Web built on open standards. Virtual Mechanics' Web Engine allows developers to tap the functionality of emerging standards such as SVG and XHTML and Opera's Web browser has long been the most standards-compliant browser. Whether casual users looking to build their own sites or experts building sites for others, the combined offering with Opera will help developers understand, use and test their standards-based code, helping to ensure an open and accessible Web. Partnering with Virtual Mechanics naturally blends the best of both companies into one tool easy enough for do-it-yourself enthusiasts and capable enough for the most demanding content creators, said Rolf Assev, Chief Commercial Officer, Opera Software. By weaving the traditional strengths of our browser - cross-platform independence and support for open standards - into Virtual Mechanics intuitive design application, developers have a superior option for their Web design needs.

The Web Engine beta can be downloaded from http://www.virtualmechanics.com/products/engine/