Opera 10.5 has been knocking around in Beta for a while but from today it’s available as a fully released product and ‘The fastest browser on Earth.’
“Opera 10.50 is the fastest browser we have ever produced. Under the hood, we introduced a new JavaScript engine, Carakan, and a new graphics library, Vega. What that means to you: no more waiting around for a site to load.”
Opera also have the ‘turbo’ feature which really helps if you’re on a low-speed connection, the user interface has been tidied up and there’s the usual widgets, Opera Unite (I’m not convinced of the value of that yet) and Opera Link, A Mozilla Weave-like syncronisation tool.
I’ve done some testing on the UMID BZ as you can see below and so far I’m quite impressed. I enabled drag-scrolling using the opera:config#Scroll%20Is%20Pan URL and tested the Javascript engine using SunSpider. I’ve recorded the result in a FriendFeed thread that I encourage you too contribute to.
Naturally Javascript tests results are only a part of the picture but as we move to moving more and more AJAX applications online (Google Mail with Buzz and Contacts is a prime example) it becomes clear how much of an advantage it could be.
In a quick check on memory usage there didn’t appear to be any major difference between FF 3.6 and Opera 10.5 so all in all it looks like Opera 10.5 is a sensible choice and with the ‘Turbo’ features it makes a great choice for the mobile web.
Press release: Opera.
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
New article: Opera 10.5 Launched. Javascript Speed Looks Good. http://bit.ly/b9Uv0n
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:22 pm
RT @umpcportal: New article: Opera 10.5 Launched. Javascript Speed Looks Good. http://bit.ly/b9Uv0n < drag and grab working well too!
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:34 pm
seems the ui went the same way as chrome, and i am not sure i like that. Tho thats mostly based on me being used to doubleclicking the tab bar to get a new tab, but with chrome at least that results in the window going to or from maximized…
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I have used FF 3.6 and Chrome stable 4, for several months, on my optimized WinXP on my 7-year old Compaq Presario 2800. Now, I have installed Opera 10.50 Beta, and have been using it for a few days. It “blows away,” both FF and Chrome, and am really loving it. The full thumbnail previews on the tabs bar is almost like having Windows 7. Believe me, once you,ve tried it, you won’t go back to those other browsers. Those Norwegians know how to optimize the software.
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Any idea if/when umid bz will be released with more ram, high resolution screen, and faster processor?
I will have to give opera a try on my netbook. And then maybe give win7 a shot.
April 1st, 2010 at 8:44 pm
@hadoualex Opera 10.5 touch-pan tip is in this article. http://www.umpcportal.com/2010/03/opera-10-5-launched-javascript-speed-looks-good/