Opera 9 comes with new features such as thumbnail preview panes, a built-in content blocker, integrated BitTorrent peer-to-peer file distribution and transfer capabilities, and "widgets" or small Web applications such as multimedia add-ons, newsfeeds and games that can be used to customize a user's desktop.

"For Opera 9, we worked hard to push the limits of what people expect from a Web browser, with increased speed, new Web standards support and innovative features such as widgets and BitTorrent," Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera, said in a statement. "Even though we shaped this browser for the Web's future, we have the powerful features people want and need for their surfing today. I truly feel Opera 9 has something for everyone."

Opera 9 will support open standards and include tools that will allow Web developers to code their sites for these standards, including built-in Extensible Rendering Architecture (ERA). ERA will help developers confirm that their sites work well on any Web-connected device.

Opera 9 also allows a user to select the search engine to be used for integrated search and offers improvements on Opera's tabbed browser features. Users can also save their browser sessions. They can stop a session, close Opera and resume Web-surfing where they left off when they reopen the browser.

The latest version also includes a new security bar to help prevent phishing and other online scams, as well as new button options and "skins" for customizing the browser's appearance.

The new browser can be downloaded free of charge at Opera.com.