Opera Software has released Opera Mini 4.2. Still in beta, the browser update is significant, adding a few key new features.
The 4.2 release taps into Opera’s new server farm, specifically for handling Opera Mini post-processing. Opera Mini works by using servers to render a web page, and then send the phone a pre-rendered version of the final site. Opera Software claims that this will dramatically improve speed for American and Asia-Pacific users.
Some phones will be able to take advantage of new video playback support, including access to YouTube for Mobile. The developers say that modern Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones can use it, however, any phone that supports 3GPP streaming inside of Java can (except for Sprint phones, which will need Developer Root enabled to hack in the functionality).
In addition, the update also adds the optional Opera Mini 3.0 skinning system, a UI change requested frequently by users.
Finally, the update adds Notes functionality, enabling a user to sync information between Opera on the desktop, and Opera Mini on the phone.
While in beta, the 4.2 release will not overwrite version 3.0, allowing a user to keep both copies on their phone at once.
