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Opera 9 Preview 2 – code named Merlin for the secretive beta types – was recently released for public consumption. Overall the alternative browser to the unfortunately popular Internet Explorer and much respected Mozilla Firefox has received a slew of new features. I’ve taken a look at one significant addition: widgets.

The most noticeable feature is the addition of “widgets” run directly through the browser. Opera has created a separate widgets community here. Installation of widgets is done directly through the browser. After completing a download, Opera prompts you asking if you wish to keep the widget. The overall execution of the widget addition is superb. Widgets remain top level above all other applications. Pressing F6 will toggle the widgets from view. In order for the widgets to be called back into view, Opera must be the active window. I noticed no noticeable memory consumption running Opera without or with three additional widgets. Kudos to Opera for addressing potential memory hogging issues. Widget creation does not seem to be a challenge as the base framework is requires nothing more than HTML & Javascript or AJAX. It may be about time for me to update our Konfabular RSS widget to work across the board for Opera, OSX, and Windows users.

Opera has also made its tabbed browsing experience a little more consistent by changing the old CTRL + N to the more customary CTRL + T for new pages tabs. [Finally. All three major browsers are consistent.]

If you feel so inclined, the Opera 9 Preview 2 can be downloaded directly from Opera Labs.

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