Opera has formally updated Opera Mini, the proxy-based web browser, to version 4.1. With a speed increase compared to v4.0, and the addition of URL completion and the saving of web pages, the little browser that lets the server at the end of the connection do all the heavy lifting continues to improve in leaps and bounds. While the built in browsers on S60 handsets have significantly improved over the years, Opera Mini, while targetted at lower-powered phones, still packs a feature set that makes it a contender.

Of course, with flat rate data and WiFi connections on the rise, one of the main selling points to end users, that it kept bandwidth and your data costs down, is no longer one of the leading concerns (but it's still nice).

Also in v4.1 is the ability to save pages to your phone for later viewing or looking up of information. I can see a lot of Wikipedia pages getting saved just before exams start!

"More than 44 million people from all over the world have discovered and fallen in love with Opera Mini," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. "Those people are not just the users of Opera Mini, they are also the co-creators and our most valued critics of the product. We have actively talked to our community members in order to build the best Web browser for mobile phones. I strongly believe that the newest version of Opera Mini will be received with much excitement."

More on Opera Mini here, including the direct download if you browse from your smartphone (using another browser, naturally).