Opera Mini 4.2 Available in Beta Form

Opera Software has released a preview of Opera Mini 4.2, the next version of its web browser that runs on almost every mobile phone.

The new version provides a colorful selection of new skins and improved support for YouTube and other video services on a wider selection of mobile phones, especially new Sony Ericsson and Nokia phones.  Improvements in Opera Link allow users to share notes between their mobile phones and PCs, in addition to their bookmarks and recently-visited URLs.

Opera Mini is a proxy-based browser, which means web pages are processed -- stripped down to their essentials -- by a server before being sent to the user's device. Users in the United States and Asia-Pacific region should now experience faster browsing speeds, due to the addition of an Opera Mini server park in the U.S.

This is a Java application, and therefore can run on a very wide array of mobile phones. Even those with smartphones, who have access to native browsers, use it. Many Palm OS users turn to Opera Mini as a viable alternative to Blazer, it's used by BlackBerry owners who want a better browsing experience, while some Windows Mobile users say it provides the fastest web surfing option.

Opera Mini 4.2 beta is available now as a free download from Opera Software's website.

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