The incremental update of Opera Mini to version 4.1 gave the little browser faster operation and a few extra features.

Norwegian browser maker Opera Software opened Opera Mini 4.1 to public usage today. The company claims over 44 million people have used Opera Mini on their mobile devices.

The newest update brought along performance the company touted as bring up to 50 percent faster than the previous version. Opera also listed other features added to Mini 4.1:

• The new Opera Mini will automatically suggest URL completions, making address input easy and intuitive

• Web pages can be saved for later off-line viewing
• Opera Mini 4.1 gives you quick access to the word or phrase you want in Web pages
• Images, ringtones and other content can be downloaded without leaving Opera Mini.

Opera figures in the competition between major Internet players who seek fortunes in the mobile space. Though Opera once had Yahoo as its default mobile search provider, they switched to Google earlier in 2008.

With tens of millions of potential viewers at stake, the battle for Opera Mini users and their default search may not be over yet.