Opera 12 is the latest version of the browser available that used the Presto layout engine. Moving forward all newer versions of Opera rely on the Blink web browser engine developed as part of the Chromium project and thus, the same rendering engine used by Google's Chrome.

Key Features

Out-of-Process Plug-ins

Opera now runs plug-ins as a separate process, allowing for more control when a plug-in misbehaves. This feature will enhance security and stability.

64-Bit Mac and Windows versions

The 64-bit version of Opera will offer performance improvements for some functions and allow Opera more freedom in allocating memory.

Themes

New, lightweight themes make it easier to customize the browser. Install or change themes at the click of a button, without restarting the browser. The themes gallery can be viewed here.

Address Field Enhancements

Numerous improvements to the address bar have been made:

  • Improved address field and address bar drop-down suggestions
  • Smart URL shortening in the address field drop-down
  • The page title and the page excerpt will be used for full page search results
  • URL and page content columns in the address field drop-down have been combined

Experimental Full Hardware Acceleration

Hardware acceleration allows Opera to offload graphics rendering from the processor (CPU) to the graphics card (GPU), making graphics intensive operations such as animations faster.

Right-to-Left (RTL) script support added, language support expanded

RTL support will bring additional stability for certain languages. Persian, Urdu, Hebrew, and Arabic languages added.

Windows and Tabs API

Extensions will now be able to interact with tabs, create tab groups, and manage windows.

Opera Unite, Opera Widget, and Opera Voice Discontinuation

Opera Unite and Opera Widgets will be off by default in Opera 12.00, and will eventually be phased out of the Opera browser in the future. Voice support will be removed as of Opera 12.00, as the voice-detection library is no longer supported by the third-party vendor.

Web Specifications Support

Opera 12.00 will include changes in the Opera Presto 2.10 engine up to core-integration-point 289. WebRTC Initial support for real-time communication has been added. Allowing the source of HTML5 video to be set to the user's webcam.

HTML5 Drag and Drop

Drag and drop enables webpages to have elements that the user can drag from one page to another, or from their desktop to the webpage.

CSS3 Animations and Transitions

Support for animations and transitions has been updated and expanded.

Do Not Track

Added support for the Do Not Track (DNT) HTTP header.

Paged Overflow

An innovative new set of CSS constructs that allow webpages to be split up into paged media, revolutionizing the Web reading experience.

Cross-Originresourcesharing (CORS) for XMLHTTPREQUEST

CORS enables more secure and flexible communications between websites.

Operating system compatibility: Windows 8 and Mac OSX

We have added basic touch support for Opera in Windows 8 Classic, so you will be able to scroll, zoom and browse pages and elements easily. As an extra bonus, touch support also works on Windows 7. Meanwhile, our Mac users will enjoy using the new capabilities of OSX Mountain Lion with Opera. You are now able to use Mountain Lion's built-in share function, using the new Share button in Opera's address bar, as well as seeing Opera notifications in the Notifications Center.

What's New:

More is better

Enhance your time online by adding extensions. Want an instant check on the weather or just the number of emails in your inbox? We've got hundreds of useful extensions in our catalog already, in categories ranging from games and entertainment to news and blogging. And, in this version of Opera, we've put the pieces in place to make the extensions of the future even more powerful.

Plays well with others

Opera is the browser that was designed to work on many different devices and software platforms. Now, we've enhanced our support for the most popular operating systems in use today. With basic touch support for Opera in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 Classic, you'll have the functionality you want at your fingertips.

Apple users will be able to take full advantage of Retina Display when using Opera on Macs. In addition, those on OS X Mountain Lion can use Mountain Lion's built-in share function to share your latest favorite link, photo, video or comment instantly with the rest of the world. You'll also be able to receive Opera notifications in the Mountain Lion Notification Center.

Fine-tuned function

Faster, smoother and more solid --- we're always tinkering and tweaking to make Opera run better, but we have an especially long list of improvements in this release. This includes support for the SPDY ("Speedy") network standard, as well as some new web standards that promise to add richer functionality and an improved look and feel to your favorite websites.

Finally, this version of Opera also offers improved compatibility and interoperability with sites all over the web, thanks to support for a variety of both prefixed and unprefixed CSS properties.