Opera Software today announced the first public Beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small Web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users’ desktops. The Opera 9 Beta also features support for BitTorrent, a popular file downloading technology, in addition to an easy-to-use content blocker and thumbnail previews of tabbed sites.
„We’re proud to release this Beta of Opera 9 to Web users around the world,“ said Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. „Opera 9 brings powerful new features to enhance the Web browsing experience and empower Web 2.0 developers. Opera 9 unlocks new levels of productivity for the Internet ecosystem.“
The most noticeable new features include:
- Widgets – Small Web applications (multimedia, newsfeeds, games and more) that make your desktop experience more fun. Any Web developer can create their own Widgets and share them, regardless of operating system. Try the Widgets in Opera 9 by pressing F6. Look for further development of Opera Widgets in future releases.
- BitTorrent – Instead of having to use a separate BitTorrent application for downloading large files,
- Users can now simply click a torrent file and start the download
- Content blocker – Choose the content you want to view. Remove ads or images – it is up to you. Right-click on the Web page and choose \“Block content\“
Download: Opera 9 Beta
View: Changelog