Opera 9 goes Universal

Opera, the little browser that could (and did - go free, that is), has finished its beta and reached version 9, going Universal in the process. New features include:

• a built-in BitTorrent client

• adding your favorite search engines to Opera's search bar simply by right-clicking them

• site-specific preferences for cookies, pop-ups, etc.

• thumbnail previews of tabs when hovering over them

• widgets (hey, at least they didn't call 'em 'gadgets')

• customizable content blocker

• and more

This version definitely seems snappier now that it's Universal, and (say what you have to) these new enhancements like a built-in BitTorrent client show that Opera is blazing a trail faster than its competition. Give this version a whirl if you haven't touched Opera in a while but are still curious about it. If you need help with a browser transition, why not check out some of the del.icio.us tools (like my personal favorite: Delibar) we've blogged that take the 'bookmarks bar' out of the browser and into Mac OS X's menubar, removing the need for worrying about which browser you're using.