Opera has released the latest version of its free mobile web browser. Opera Mini 4, which was made available on Wednesday, supports synchronisation with the company's desktop-based browser product.
Opera Mini 4 is also the first version of the mobile browser to embrace the "Speed Dial" feature built into the company's desktop browser. Speed Dial automatically opens up tabs for the user's pre-defined favourite sites, rather than starting with a blank page.
Mini 4 also incorporates the company's latest rendering technology for displaying full web pages without the requirement of horizontal scrolling — a feature that has proved to be a strong contributor to the popularity of Apple's iPhone.
"Two years ago, we introduced Opera Mini to the world because we wanted to bring the web to users everywhere," said Opera's chief executive, Jon von Tetzchner. "Today, Opera Mini is the world's most popular mobile browser. As a result, the mobile web is now a mass phenomenon. Opera Mini 4 raises the bar for user-friendly access to the web on any mobile phone, anywhere in the world."
A spokesperson for the company told ZDNet.co.uk on Tuesday that Opera Mini 4 would synchronise only with the desktop version of Opera, but suggested that workarounds were available to transfer bookmarks onto phones from other browsers via the desktop offering.
Asked what Opera's feelings were on Android, Google's mobile handset platform, the spokesperson said it was "a validation of the fact that people will be using the internet on their mobile phones as they do on their PCs".
"It means that, most likely, the interest in what we deliver is on the increase," the spokesperson said. "It's not just Google; it's a broad plethora of platforms in the market."
Opera's spokesperson refused to confirm or deny whether Opera had been approached to be a part of the Open Handset Alliance, the organisation founded by Google to develop Android, saying only that Opera was "very close to Google".
