Opera is hoping to steal some of Firefox 's thunder, with a launch timed to fall just before the open-source darling's version 3 unveiling. Like the new Firefox, Opera 9 .5 (code-named Kestrel) has revamped its address bar, simplified its download dialog, improved content blocking, sped up performance, and tightened memory use. Its updated interface gives the browser a modern, 3D obsidian look. You'll also find some unique new features, like the ability to sync your bookmarks among PCs using its hosted service. Although I found a few sites that didn't fully support it, and occasionally ran into a stability issue, Opera's problems are minor. With built-in e-mail, chat, newsreader, and even BitTorrent clients, Opera is a one-stop Internet shop, and it's faster, safer, and more compatible than ever.

Not to be outdone by the new standout feature in Firefox 3—a rethought address bar (which Mozilla insiders call the Awesome Bar)—Opera has introduced Quick Find. In the new Firefox address bar, when you start typing characters, a drop-down menu presents suggestions of sites you may be looking for, based on your browsing history and bookmarks. Quick Find takes this a step further, basing results on page content as well as history. The feature does a pretty good job of predicting the sites I want, but I still prefer the Firefox implementation, because it can take tagging into account and will even take you directly to the page you want. Say you type the phrase "New York Times": Mozilla's browser takes you directly to the paper's site. Opera, like other browsers, takes you to a search results page for your terms; there's no "gee-whiz" factor. And with Firefox, you've saved a mouse click.

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