Opera on Wednesdsay launched the first beta version of its Opera 10 web browser, offering enhanced speed and performance, along with a newly designed user interface. Changes in the beta include improved browsing speeds over limited-bandwidth connections, a resizable tab bar, and customizable features for the speed dial that allow users to choose from 4-25 web sites for quick access, and to add a custom background. Other speed enhancements noted by the company include a faster engine by up to 40 percent and increased support for resource intensive pages such as Gmail and Facebook.

Other improvements in the open beta allow users to integrate their web mail service with the web browser, and include a spell-check function that works when typing in Facebook, a blog, or a web-based e-mail.

The company also notes that the browser will automatically restart when encountering any problems and recover all tabs, while providing a crash report that users can send.

Version 10 also features a resizable search field to help ensure users can see exactly what their searching for as well as new developer tools, including improved debugging to allow users to edit the DOM and inspect HTTP headers.

The new beta version is currently compatible with Mac OS X 10.3 or higher and available as a free download from the company’s website.