Opera, the Norway-based internet browser company, has made a new beta available of Opera Mini, based on version 4.2.
The Opera mini browser presents users with a reduced-size full web page which can then be zoomed up and scrolled around using handset controls or the fingers on touch screen devices.
The new version includes several new features, such as the options to choose new skins', which has been reintroduced from version three. A syncing feature also enables users to share notes between their desktop PCs and their mobiles using Opera Link, while the company also says it has made improvements to video performance, and - more specifically - YouTube.
"Opera Mini is a mobile application to be reckoned with," said John Jackson, vice president for the Yankee Group analyst firm. "We have witnessed a 10 per cent average growth in the number of Opera Mini users worldwide every month, with every indication that the trend will continue."
In conjunction with the release, Opera said that users in the US and Asia will get faster browsing through Opera Mini, as it has introduced a server park' in the US. All pages that are viewed on Opera Mini are routed through Opera servers, reformatting the page for the device.
Opera describes Opera Mini as "the world's most popular mobile web browser," as the Java based applications works on almost every mobile phone. The company claims that the browser currently has 20 million users.
The beta for Opera mini 4.2 can be downloaded here.
