Opera 10 : What’s New?

As expected, Opera 10 was released earlier today. Opera is the first major browser to reach double digit version numbers. Let’s take a look at what’s new in Opera 10.

Visual Tabs: Opera Pioneered Tabbed Browsing (please note that it didn’t invent Tabbed Browsing; The Internet Works was the first browser with Tabs) and has been behind several innovations related to tabbed browsing (such as Trash Can). And now it pushes tabbed browsing to the next level with the inclusion of resizeable thumbnail tabs. You believe how well Opera’s Visual Tabs work till you have actually used it.

Speed: Opera 10 is fast. The benchmark’s may put it behind other browsers, but artificial benchmarks which rely solely on JavaScript rendering performance can never reveal the complete picture. Opera is super-fast when it comes to HTML/CSS and as a result may actually be the fastest browser if you consider the overall rendering speed. Opera 10 features Opera Presto 2.2 rendering engine which is supposed to be 40% faster.

Turbo: If fast rendering was not enough you have Turbo. Turbo compresses the webpage before it is delivered to you, thus dramatically increasing page load speed. It’s ideal for netizens with slower connections (100 Kbps or less). To learn more about Turbo check out my earlier coverage on it.

Refreshed Skin and Icon: John Hicks has done his job! The new Opera skin has several refinements. All UI inconsistencies present in Kestrel have been dealt with. Opera 10 also features brand new browser pages (Error Page, About Page, Config Page etc.) and a new refreshed icon.

Spell Checker: It took a long time, but Opera finally ships with a as-you-type spell checker with support for 50+ languages.

Improved Speed Dial: Speed Dial just got better. Now you can easily change background as well as the layout of Speed Dial.

Automatic Updates: The built in Auto Update feature helps you stay secure by ensuring that you are always running the latest build of Opera.

M2 Improved: The built in e-mail client has been significantly improved and now supports HTML Authoring.

Advanced Memory Optimisation: Opera utilises advanced algorithms to make the best use of your memory. On newer systems equipped with plentiful of RAM it caches webpages in the primary memory (RAM Cache) to deliver a snappier browsing experience. On the other hand it automatically conserves as much RAM as possible on older systems. Additionally, Opera periodically flushes the RAM Cache to keep its memory usage in check. Peregrine features further under the hood optimisations to improve performance.

And More: Opera 10 includes a host of other improvements including better HTML5 support and Web Fonts. Check out the changelog for more details.

Opera has never had it easy. They have consistently relied on innovation and superior browsing experience to survive in a tough market. And Opera 10 is another gem of a release. However, does it have enough to give Opera the popularity boost Opera Software has been hoping for? I am not so sure. I will discuss the some of my own grievances with Opera in another post later on today. Meanwhile go ahead and give Opera 10 a try. Without a doubt its one of the best browsers in the market.

Download Opera
View Changelog
Learn More About Opera
OS Supported: Windows, Linux, Mac