Opera has enhanced its free mini browser for Java phones, adding multimedia downloads, a unique “browser-to-SMS” commerce feature, and more customizability. Opera Mini 2.0 can add smartphone-like features to even the most basic Java-enabled mobile phones, Opera says.

About 700 million basic Java-enabled phones are technically capable of running the tiny browser client, the company said when it launched Opera Mini in January. So far, the browser has attracted 2.5 million users, according to Opera.

Opera Mini has a footprint of 50-100KB, and works through proxy servers hosted by Opera. The proxies translate Web pages into OBML (Opera Binary Markup Language), an optimized, compressed XML variant that requires less client-side processing and bandwidth than standard HTML, Opera says.

The new 2.0 version of Opera Mina enables users to download MP3s, images, and other Web content directly to their phones, according to Opera, using a unique “browser-to-SMS” model said to simplify mobile phone commerce for both buyers and sellers. Users purchase items by clicking in the browser; the content is then delivered and billed, at prices set by the seller, via SMS (simple messaging system).

Other new Mini 2.0 features touted by Opera include:

• New skins
• Multisearch allows users to select “extra search engines” for the home page.
• Bookmarks displayed on the home page can be assigned a shortcut key combination
• Quick and smooth horizontal panning when browsing backwards or forwards

CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner stated, “Whether you want to change the way the browser looks, download [a] song, or check movie times and book tickets, Opera Mini 2.0 is designed for the way you live your life.”

Availability

Opera Mini 2.0 is available now. It can be freely downloaded using WAP browsers, or purchased for a small fee for SMS delivery.

 
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