Opera 9 TP2 First Impressions

Opera 9 TP2 Review

Widgets
A welcome addition to the browser. There aren't many to play with at the moment, but in time I think this feature will become a very good reason to use the Opera browser instead of or in addition to other browsers.

Bittorrent
A great tool for Bittorrent power users. It works without a hitch. This feature could probably be added to a browser like Firefox through an extension, but to be built in to the browser itself seems like the way to go here.

Other UI Improvements
- The content blocking feature is interesting, but I have no idea what I would need it for.
- The search shortcut editor is cool, but I think the Firefox implementation is more organized and less of a hassle.
- The site specific preferences option is great. It creates a whole new dimension of web customization to the browser.
- Thumbnails in the switching of tabs using Ctrl+Tab is good to have.

Although there are some other little things that make Opera better these are the ones that caught my eye and held it. To sum up my thoughts on the added features, The Opera team did a great job on the more anticipated features like Widgets and Bittorrent, and fairly well in other improvements of the browser. Some features elude my comprehension, while others are way ahead of my thinking as far as browser security goes. I think Opera is becoming an excellent alternative to IE and a formidable competitor for Firefox. But It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.

(Sorry about the late review. I guess I had more on my plate yesterday than I could chew.)