| Opera browser beta adds voice, more |
Dec. 23, 2004
[Updated 7:00pm PST] -- Opera Software has released the first public beta of version 8 of its popular Opera browser, which adds voice input/output and a host of other niceties. Key new features include improved RSS handling, fit to window or paper width, a start-bar for easy access to the most commonly used functions, and automatic update checks. The current beta release supports Windows only, but a general release is scheduled for "early 2005," Opera says.
Other new features of the new version include an easier install process, a simplified user interface, and a trash can that remembers closed windows and blocked pop-ups. Also, a clickable RSS icon now appears in the address bar when sites with RSS feeds are accessed, and RSS newsfeeds can be added to Opera's email client.
Opera's new voice technology is said to support websites that offer interactive, voice-enabled shopping and booking systems, the company says. Additionally, users can browse the web using spoken commands such as "Opera next link," "Opera back," and "Opera speak." In response to the latter, Opera reads the content of a web page or email aloud.
Opera and IBM have partnered on XHTML+Voice (X+V) technology for several years, co-announcing a Multimodal Browser and Toolkit early in 2003. At that time, Opera began offering an enhancement to Opera 7.0 browser for Windows that was made available through the Multimodal Browser project. The modified version of Opera 7.0 was capable of rendering Web pages written in the XHTML+Voice markup language, Opera said, at the time.
Opera 8's new Fit-to-Window-Width function adapts web page content to fit the width of the window in which the browser is currently displayed. As a result, if multiple windows are open, the browser sizes the web page to the particular window, thereby eliminating the need for horizontal scrolling. Combining this feature with Opera's web page zoom feature enables users to "dramatically magnify" web pages, yet view them without the need for horizontal scrolling, a capability that is sure to be popular among visually impaired users.
"We were preparing for the 7.60 release, but as work progressed and we kept adding improvements and functionality, it became very evident that we now have a browser that is so powerful, secure, and easy to use that it exceeds the next logical version number and warrants a major release," said Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner, in a statement. "The new Opera version has dramatic improvements under the hood, in addition to some very helpful new features to welcome more and more users to take advantage of browsing the Internet in a fast, safe, and customizable way."
The latest Opera beta (version 8.00b1, for Windows users only) is available as a free download. The final version, which will support Linux, Mac, and Windows, is scheduled for release in early 2005, according to Opera. Users who have licensed versions of Opera 7 will receive free upgrades to the new version, it says.
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