Opera Mobile for Android to feature pinch to zoom, iPhone + hardware acceleration

Opera has confirmed that it will release a beta version of Opera Mobile for Android phones within the next month. One of the new features in Opera Mobile for Android will be the long awaited pinch to zoom support. Opera also announced that Opera Mini for iPhone will receive an updated version this year featuring both pinch to zoom and hardware acceleration.

According to the official blog,

What is pinch to zoom?
The current versions of Opera Mobile and Opera Mini have two levels of zoom. One for the full page width and one for zooming in to read the text. With the introduction of pinch to zoom you are in full control of the zoom level. Text redraws almost instantly at all zoom levels, so text will always look sharp and easy to read. All this without compromising the speed or data compression in Opera Mini and Opera Mobile!

What is hardware acceleration?
Hardware acceleration allows Opera to run at lightning speed. Navigating a page, panning and zooming will be faster than ever. All this is made possible by taking full advantage of the GPU power available on your phone. Hardware acceleration allows us to do amazing things like pinch to zoom for all sites. It also allows a more fluid interaction between you and your phone, improving your browsing experience!

The first public beta version of Opera Mobile for Android featuring pinch to zoom will be available from m.opera.com and Android Market within a month. Stay tuned for more info about the updated iPhone version of Opera Mini with pinch to zoom and hardware acceleration.