Opera 11.5 Browser Launches with Speed Dial Extensions, Password Sync

Last week, Mozilla updated its Firefox browser, increasing by a full version number from 4 to 5. Today, European browser maker Opera increased its browser version number by a mere .4, to Opera 11.5 from version 11.1, though this adds more noticeable new features than the new Firefox. Added functionality for Opera's pioneering Speed Dial feature (which was subsequently copied by Chrome, IE, and Safari) tops the list of what's new, but the update also brings a sleeker user interface, password syncing, and faster graphics performance.

Speed Dial is a sort of start page displayed whenever a user adds a new tab. It shows a tile grid of frequently accessed sites. Today's update brings these tiles to life, allowing site developers to create extensions that fill them with dynamic information. Four example extensions are available at launch—Read it Later, which suggests articles; Webdoc, for Web posting; The Hype Machine, which displays hot tracks from emerging artists; and StockTwits, which shows trending stock picks.

"We're excited about the work that has gone into Opera 11.50," said Jan Standal, VP of Desktop Products, Opera Software. "Before we challenge Lady Gaga though, we've got to surpass the Tom Selleck moustache fan page on Facebook and the number of forum posts Opera fan Tamil has written. We think Speed Dial extensions are amazing enough to do the trick, but we didn't stop there."

Indeed they didn't. Also added for version 11.5 is a simplification of the browser's user interface, as detailed in our article of last week, "." The modified interface removes boxes around browser buttons, and changes colors and icons for a lighter, brighter look.

Using Opera's existing syncing service, Opera Link, the new browser version adds the ability to sync not only bookmarks, settings, history, notes, and more, but passwords, too. This saves you from repeatedly logging into the same sites from work and home, for example.

Underneath the hood, the updated browser fixes thousands of bugs and speeds up CSS and SVG rendering for faster graphical page rendering. Finally, Opera 11.5 adds more HTML5 support, including support for Session History and Navigation, the W3C File API, classlist and the element.

Opera 11.5 is available for download today at www.opera.com, where there's a ticker showing how many people have downloaded the installer to date. As of this writing, it was up to 2.1 million downloads. Users of earlier versions will see a message telling them that they're using an out-of-date version, with a link to download the new one. The installer is available for Windows, Mac, and several Unix flavors. So no matter what platform you run, you can pitch in to help Opera surpass Lady Gaga.

For more from Michael, follow him on Twitter @mikemuch.