Opera 7.5 Beta Showcases Integrated E-Mail, Chat

By David Worthington, BetaNews

April 23, 2004, 7:26 PM

Opera 7.50 has come to a crescendo. Opera Software has released the first beta build of its latest Web browser on all desktop platforms – bringing each distribution to a uniform common ground. Version 7.5 combines a completely redesigned interface, integrated e-mail, an IRC-compatible chat client with overall improvements to productivity and speed. 

Opera's user interface has been redesigned with smaller buttons and faster access to key features through the browser's panel selector. The panel selector hosts a cadre of features such as bookmarks, notes, Opera Mail and Opera's budding chat feature. Opera describes its new interface as being "fresh" and "light."

By melding an e-mail client and chat features into the browser, Opera has redefined the browser as an all-purpose communications tool. The Opera Mail client offers customers rich functionality including support for instant content search, a contact database, a newsgroup reader, automatic filtering, a spellchecker, and RSS news feeds.

Opera's spam filter has been enhanced to allow users to classify messages which are then automatically sorted into the appropriate folder. Other improvements are intended to boost speed throughout the application from the time the browser is opened to the moment it is closed.

Opera continues to march on in lieu of Microsoft's nearly complete dominance of the browser market by embracing Web standards and building what it describes as a "better and faster Internet experience."

Industry analyst Joe Wilcox feels that alternative browsers such as Opera can fill the "innovation vacuum" left by Microsoft's abandonment of continual browser improvements. 

"During the browser wars, Microsoft regularly cranked out new IE versions. Now, Microsoft the victor has all but stopped innovating on browser technology outside of new Windows versions. Longhorn is what, two years from release?  Just because Microsoft has all but given up on Web browsers doesn't mean there isn't room for more development.  Consider that IE today isn't that much different from the versions released six years ago," said Wilcox, a senior analyst with Jupiter Research.

The freeware release of Opera contains an advertisement; however, customers can eliminate the ad in return for purchasing six months of service and support. Downloads are available with or without Java. The subscription costs $29.00 USD and includes access to Opera Web Mail Premium. 

An Opera spokesperson refused to comment on a final release date for the browser, stating, "We never give estimated release dates, as major, time-intensive bugs might delay release."