You have to give it to Opera, the precocious browser maker doesn't half rattle out the upgrades and most of the time there's pretty solid stuff behind each new iteration - no more so than now...
Likely sending die-hard fans into a creamy lather (and we seem to have an uncommonly high number of them judging by the TR comment sections) is the first public alpha of '
Opera 10'. A milestone release for the Norwegian company, the jump to double digits has seen a whole host of useful, innovative and about-time-too additions so let's break them down...
First up the pesky
Acid3 test and Opera becomes the first company to claim a highly significant 100/100 perfect score (by comparison Firefox 3.0.4 manages 71/100, Chrome 79/100 and as for IE - don't even go there). In theory this should mean the browser will correctly render every page on the Web, including upcoming next generation applications.
On top of this is the Presto 2.2 engine which claims to be 30 per cent faster than v2.1 in Opera 9.6, as well as being more stable and secure. Then there comes a raft of useful and much needed additions such as inline spell check, auto-updates and full html formatting in Opera Mail. Web developers also get a boost as the Presto 2.2 engine supports Web Fonts and SVG, opacity through RGBA and Dragonfly debugging for sites that includes HSLA and DOM editing and HTTP header inspecting (*stares blankly* Huuuuuuugooooooo!).
As you might expect, a release date for a finished version of
Opera 10 hasn't been announced yet so the particularly timid amongst you may want to wait. Everyone else rejoice in the fact that a) Opera just got significantly better and b) other browsers now have to up their game...
What’s new
Opera Turbo for fast browsing on slow connections
Ever felt a Web site was loading slowly? Do you think it will happen again? Think again: Opera Turbo is a compression technology that provides significant improvements in browsing speeds over limited-bandwidth connections like a crowded Wi-Fi in a cafe or browsing through your mobile phone while commuting.
New enhanced tabs and sleek design
Opera has always been the pioneer for how to deal with tabs in your browser. In Opera 10, we introduce a resizable tab bar. Drag the handle underneath the tabs to reveal thumbnails of your open Web pages. And, because great features should come in beautiful packages: well-known designer
Jon Hicks created a whole new look for Opera 10.
Speed Dial your way
You asked for it! Customize your Speed Dial to fit your own needs. Click the configure button and choose from 4 to 25 favorite Web sites for quick access every time you open a new tab. You can also add a custom background so that you feel right at home.
Web integration
If you use a Web mail service as your default mail client, you can tell Opera 10 to do the same. Clicking on e-mail addresses or "Send by Mail" in Opera will open the compose page from your Web mail service provider. The same is true with the Feed reader — you can now also add any RSS/atom feed into your favorite online feed reader from within Opera 10.
Resizable search field
Have a clearer view of what you are about to search by simply expanding the size of the search field — because many of life's questions require more than two words of space.
40% faster engine and cutting-edge Web standards support
We optimized the new Opera Presto 2.2 engine in Opera 10 to be much faster on resource-intensive pages such as Gmail and Facebook. In addition, with an
Acid3 100/100 score, Web Fonts support, RGBA/HSLA color and SVG improvements, Opera 10 beta is ready for the next generation of Web applications.
Learn more...
Inline spell-checker
Write freely in your Facebook wall, blog, or Web mail. Opera 10 beta underlines any misspelled words, so you can express yourself without reservation. By using the popular Hunspell dictionary format, you can be sure you’ll always have the most complete and updated list of all languages.
Auto-update
Opera 10 beta makes it easier than ever to stay up-to-date with the latest version. With auto-update you will be able to choose completely automatic updates or have the option of being notified when an update is ready to install. As always with Opera, it is your choice.
E-mail your way
Opera Mail can now send rich text messages including inline images, styled text, links, and/or custom HTML. You can also choose to have messages deleted from your POP server after a preset number of days, so you can keep your Web space under control.
