The Opera Mini browser has a reputation for coming the closest to bringing the full Web to most Java-capable feature phones and smartphones. Downloaded over 44 million times, the free software has just been updated to version 4.1.

With Opera Mini, pages appear as they would on a desktop. And, like with the iPhone, you can zoom into sections of the page you want to read or see more closely. Opera's Small Screen Rendering feature promises to eliminate horizontal scrolling.

This is all achieved through Opera's client-server technology: Opera's servers process Web pages requested by the client browser on a phone so they're optimized for better performance and viewing.

With version 4.1, Opera upgraded its servers to allow Opera Mini to receive requests for Web pages up to 50 percent faster. And when you type Web addresses, the new version of Opera Mini will recognize and suggest completions based on your Bookmarks and browsing history.

You can also now search for text within a Web page, download and upload files without being re-rerouted to your phone's native browser, attach files Web-based e-mail, and save pages for offline viewing.

"We have actively talked to our community members in order to build the best Web browser for mobile phones," according to Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner. "I strongly believe that the newest version of Opera Mini will be received with much excitement.”

All of these new features join the improvements introduced with the release of Opera Mini 4 last fall. These included quicker scrolling, navigation and page rendering.

For a comprehensive overview of Opera Mini 4.1's feature set and find out how to obtain the upgrade, see here.

A preview version of this Web browser tailored to Google's Android platform has been made available to developers.