Speed Dial is a new feature in the forthcoming Opera 9.2, available in beta as a free download from labs.opera.com. Speed Dial came about from careful consideration of individual browsing preferences.

"Speed Dial is based on the idea that people generally have five to 10 sites they browse regularly throughout the day," said Johan Borg, team manager for Opera's desktop browser. "Speed Dial is made for almost instant access to those sites. We want developers and the curious-minded to discover Speed Dial. When they do, we hope they'll help us with another rigorous round of testing before the final release."

With each blank tab, Speed Dial presents a thumbnail preview of the top nine sites as selected by the user. In addition to fast access through the Speed Dial, users can also enter the number corresponding with each bookmarked Speed Dial page in Opera's address field to access the page.

"I was curious if Speed Dial would work for me, but since I've started using it my workflow has improved because there is no need to type in the address anymore or go through the bookmarks for the sites I always need," said Remco Lanting, a Web developer and long-time Opera user. "I can't believe what I was missing all this time. Fast, easy to use and doing exactly what it was designed for, making the internet experience even better."

Speed Dial continues the streak of innovation Opera has maintained since its early days. Throughout its history, Opera has pioneered many features now considered "must-haves" in the browser including tabbed browsing, integrated search and the ability to start where you left off - Opera Software.