Opera 11.10 launches with Afrikaans language support

Codenamed “Barracuda”, Opera 11.10 is the newest update to the popular desktop browser and it includes support for over 50 languages including Afrikaans, Azerbaijani, Montenegrin, Malay, Tagalog, Thai and Uzbeck. The latest update also includes improvements to two of Opera’s most used features: Speed Dial and Opera Turbo.

Opera seems to be following the trend of customising browsers for added language support. Last month, Mozilla’s successful integrated the Zulu language into its Firefox browser.

The Opera Turbo feature in the 11.10 update reduces the size of webpages based on internet connection speeds, claiming that it can help boost browsing speeds by up to four times or more. In previous versions, this meant that quality of images were reduced but, according to Opera Software, the overall image quality for the Opera 11.10 browser has since been improved.

The Norwegian software company further claims that the new Opera Turbo produces pages that are, on average, 54 percent smaller and almost 40 percent faster to load than without Opera Turbo.

“The Opera Turbo feature is crucial for anyone who travels or just has a slow internet connection,” said Jan Standal, VP of Desktop Products, Opera Software. “By reducing the size of the page, we can make browsing so much faster. So whether you’re at a crowded Starbucks in San Francisco or are using a 3G modem in Sri Lanka, Opera Turbo can give you a better browsing experience.”

Another interesting addition to the browser update is Speed Dial which allows users faster access their favorite sites. The new browser gives you an unlimited number of dials to customize, thanks to the new Speed Dial flow feature. New layout choices, and an improved zoom slider in the configuration menu lets you arrange your Speed Dial to fit any monitor. While Speed Dial automatically adjusts layout to fit your screen, you can define the layout depending on your preference.

See the new Speed Dial in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_vxCY4BF_Y

Easier plug-ins
When you visit a page that requires Flash, the Opera browser can now download the plug-in automatically and install it in the background—-a seamless, simple process.

More support for web developers
A new browser core makes it the fastest Opera browser yet, but it also adds support for CSS3’s multi-column layouts and linear gradients, the Web Open Font Format (WOFF) and Google’s WebP image protocol.

Download the Opera 11.10 browser here.