Opera begins beta testing the next version of its Windows Web browser (Opera 10):
At Opera, we love speed. We work hard to make our browser faster with features that speeds you up, but your connection also plays a big role on how fast you can go.
Some people have fast connections, a lot have slow connections. Many are always on the run from one place to another — making it hard to find regular fast connection points. Even if you do, it might be that too many people are on the Wi-Fi in the cafe or that you are browsing through your mobile phone when commuting on the train.
That’s why we’ve been working on Opera Turbo, a server-side optimization and compression technology that provides significant improvements in browsing speeds over limited-bandwidth connections by compressing network traffic. This does not only make you surf faster, but also lowers the cost of browsing when you are on a pay per usage plan.
Today we start our time limited test phase for Opera Turbo, please read below to learn a little about how Turbo works and where to download it.
So, I've basically mocked Opera for even bothering in the PC space, but I did download this version--I pretty much always do--and for the first time, ever, I actually kind of like it. I'm not even sure why that's so. (I certainly don't like the Turbo feature, which, among other things, tones down image quality to speed web page loading.) It's not horrible. That's all I'm saying.