Opera 7 Ready to Rock the Web
Oslo, Norway – Jan 28, 2003
Opera Software today unleashed the final Opera 7 for Windows, making the latest in Internet technology available for the millions of Web users in need of a better browser. Opera 7 is a substantial upgrade, with code rewritten from the rendering engine and up, resulting in the fastest, smallest, most full-featured desktop browser ever released.
Opera is the third most popular browser on the Web, and growing fast: around one million new users download and install Opera each month.
“More and more users realize that the Web can be a faster, more productive tool than the limited options presented to them by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer,” says Jon S. von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. “Opera 7 provides the latest and finest in browser technology to all Web users, offering millions of new users a better Internet experience.”
Opera has long been considered the leader in user interface innovation. Classic Opera innovations like mouse gestures, integrated search, and multiple document interface have changed how millions of users work the Web. This proud tradition is continued in Opera 7, with a series of new innovations to please old and new Opera users alike.
The beta releases of Opera 7 have introduced users to powerful new features like the Fast Foward button and the M2 e-mail client, features that have already been enthusiastically embraced by beta testers. Opera’s browser factory is proud to include an extra treat in Opera 7’s golden release: Spatial Navigation, changing forever how users will interact with their keyboard when online.
Spatial Navigation was first introduced in Opera’s iTV business unit. With Opera for iTV on their set-top boxes, TV viewers appreciates how simple it is to use the arrows keys on their remote controls to navigate the electronic program guides or between links in Web pages. Now Opera is bringing the same concept to everyone’s desktop computer. By combining the Shift and arrow keys on the keyboard, users can easily move to links or any other navigational element on a page.
“Power users will simply love Spatial Navigation,” says Mary Lambert, product line manager desktop, Opera Software. “Combined with earlier Opera innovations like multiple document interface and powerful keyboard shortcuts, this will be a new must-have feature that underlines Opera’s lead in browser innovation.”
Packed with cool new features, Opera 7 confirms Opera Software’s leadership in browser innovation. At the same time Opera avoids code bloat, Opera 7 is actually smaller in size than its predecessor. The new features include:
New rendering engine
Opera’s new rendering engine supports W3C’s DOM (Document Object Model) level 2, non-standard dynamic HTML (DHTML), CSS1 and CSS2, ECMAScript, and has improved HTML 4.01 support, as well as complete support for WML 1.3 and 2.0. It is faster, smaller and can dynamically change documents through DOM.
M2 — new e-mail client
Opera’s new e-mail client, M2, automatically categorizes and sorts e-mail messages by contact and has an integrated spam filter. Innovative features such as QuickReply and QuickFind lets users answer or find e-mails at unrivalled speed. M2 supports POP3, IMAP, ESMTP, and threaded display of mailing lists. In addition, M2 supports news servers with password authentication.
Small-Screen Rendering (SSR)
Web developers can test and see how their pages would look on a smaller mobile devices by simply pressing [Shift+F11] to enable Opera’s small-screen mode. With Opera’s breakthrough SSR technology Web pages are reformatted to fit smaller screens, while maintaining all functionality.
The Wand
Opera now offers one-click log-in to password protected sites. Log-in fields with available passwords are marked with a slick golden rim, and access is provided by simply clicking the Wand icon or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Enter.
Fast Forward
Now the pages you will want to visit next are immediately available with just another click of the mouse or tap on the keyboard. Opera will try to detect the most likely “next page” link. If available, Forward will change to Fast Forward, greatly simplifying navigation in multi-page documents. This feature can also be combined with The Wand, providing immediate “Fast Forward” access to password protected sites.
Links panel
Opera 7 includes a new, easier way to navigate pages. The Hotlist now includes a Links panel by default. In the panel, all the links in the current page are listed, with icons for common types like images and movies. Links can then be easily selected for quick navigation or download. In addition, a page’s panel can be ‘locked’ to keep its particular link list available when users move over to other pages, making it possible to click the page’s links when on a completely other part of the Web.
Introducing: Spatial Navigation
Want to stretch the limits for what you can do with your keyboard? Now you can easily move around on pages by combining the Shift and arrow keys, gaining quick access to links and any other navigational elements available.
Multiple user style sheets
Opera comes equipped with 12 new style sheets, varying from helpful features for users and developers, to the more zany like a Commodore 64 browser emulator. Users annoyed by a particular Web author’s design preferences, or who suffers from visual impairments, can now get an easy fix in Opera. By choosing style sheets such as “Accessibility layout” or “High contrast B/W” users can in a snap modify pages for an easy read. Developers immediately benefit from features such as viewing structural elements without constantly reverting to its source code, or just clicking for a page’s outline for easy debugging. Fans of good old text browsing can get excited over the new text-browser emulator, one of the many options available.
New navigation bar
On sites that support navigation through link tags, users have more control over how they interact with Web pages. The site navigation will be displayed in the navigation bar, and the navigation menu will feel the same to the user regardless of site.
Sleek new look
Enjoy a new user interface with 3D buttons and enhanced alphablended effects.
Hotlist
Bookmarks and history, windows sessions and e-mail can now be managed via the Hotlist and shown respectively as a bookmarks, history, e-mail, or windows panel. Manage your downloads and transfers via the floatable download and transfer manager with extensive drag-and-drop support.
Skinning
Changing the look of a browser has never been easier with Opera’s new one-click skin install. Just pick and click once on any of the many skins available online. The skin is downloaded and applied, and users can choose to keep or remove the new skin. As a further enhancement, even changes in the coloring of skins can be altered by selecting a color scheme from the View menu.
Window management
Instead of having to choose between multiple and single document interface (MDI/SDI) as in Opera 6, users can now combine MDI, SDI and tabbed browsing — without restarting the browser. Users can also save different window combinations as window sessions, or go back and forth between different window sessions.
Multiple or single user accounts
Set up different Opera user profiles in one Opera browser to ensure that all your family members have the Opera set-up and look that suits them best.
Extended and improved drag-and-drop support
Rearrange or move toolbar items using drag-and-drop customization or move bookmarks, tabs, and window sessions (MDI/SDI) URL as shortcuts on the desktop. Open or save any page link.
Powerful panel management
All panels can now be shown, hidden or rearranged at will.
Standards-compliance
Opera continues its commitment to the standards as laid out by the W3C. Opera 7.0 for Windows supports the following technologies: 128-bit encryption, TLS 1.0, SSL 2 and 3, CSS1 and CSS2, XML, HTML 4.01, HTTP 1.1, ECMAScript, JavaScript 1.3, WAP/WML and DOM level 2.
Availability
The browser is available free of charge with a sponsored advertising banner in the top-right corner of the user interface. To remove the advertising banner users must register their version for USD 39. Various discounts apply. Until March 1, users can also enjoy 14 banner-free days from the day they download Opera. If the user then chooses to register, the advertising banner is permanently removed. In addition, registered users can freely access personal support via e-mail and enjoy six months of free OperaMail Premium.
Download Opera
Opera 7 for Windows is available for download from www.opera.com.