The main concern regarding web browsers is speed. Even though Internet connections get faster every day, this still remains the essential and most debated topic when it comes down to web browser preferences. The next matter in hand is the stability and security provided by that favorite application. While Opera is not everyone's pick, Chrome and Firefox fight for supremacy against Internet Explorer.
Things change when looking at mobile browser charts, as Opera Mini tops their ranks. Switching back to the desktop version, it may look as Opera can never compete with these browsers when it comes to usage statistics. Where it can compete though is real-life, day-by-day web browsing. The real test would be to take a number of fans of each browser and measure their stress levels as they surf the Internet.
Opera has a pretty sleek and attractive interface, although users can get a lot more thanks to the built-in theme support that allows them to download themes with a single click. In addition to that, you can also change the color scheme, just to be sure everything matches your preferences. While it doesn't fancy the number of add-ons that Firefox possesses, Opera provides support for extensions.
One interesting feature that might set Opera apart from competition is called Opera Turbo and is specifically designed to help load webpages faster. Especially designed for those with slow Internet connections, this particular function compresses webpages and reduces loading times, thus the browser downloads smaller files.
Opera is one feature packed web browser right out of the box. It sports tabbed browsing, integrated search engine, a password manager and even functions such as mouse gestures and voice interaction. With this particular web browser, users can quickly set up their mail accounts and RSS feeds for easy access to the things they need inside the same application.
The thing that drags Opera down is its HTML (HTML5 in particular) and JavaScript compatibility issues. It's still a very resource friendly application while delivering an impressive browsing speed. When other web browsers might fail, crash and burn, Opera takes advantage of its caching management techniques to make sure the experience of Internet surfing is smooth.
Opera packs one of the best feature set, making web navigation faster and quite a pleasure. It does not require a certain level of Internet-related knowledge as many would think and brings the necessary bundle of protection against pop-ups and other online malware. You can be sure that you just discovered a new option when picking your favorite browser. In the end, it's just a matter of taste.

What's New in This Release:
· Add POST method to search engines
· The badge separator needs to extend 1px upwards on Mac
· Text shadow below the background tab label is too strong on Mac
· Window frame is lacking top highlight on Mac
· Refine the Downloads popup on Windows
· Parts of button in certificate /auth dialog is transparent making mouse clicks work only with pixel precise clicks
· All Menu got black background after changing Windows Classic Theme
· Long file name is not supported in popup download manager / open folder icon
· Use cursor pointer on stash items
· Favicons for search providers aren't fetched when missing
· Badge should drag page's link
· Favicon doesn't change into tab close button
· Automatically closing drop down in Manage exceptions in Settings
· Hovered tab has a 1px transparent right border on Windows
· In fullscreen, closing inline find toolbar with Mouse closes Opera
· Pages loaded in the background have viewport size set to 0,0
· [Windows] Restarting downloads is not working in native manager and has wrong icon
· Mo...