Beating FIrefox to the punch, Opera Software today released version 9.5 of it’s multi-platform web browser. Opera says the free surfing tool is the first “publicly available browser to protect you from malicious software on the web,” defending against malware and phishing. Opera 9.5 is a significant rework from earlier versions with a host of new features and speed improvements, the company said.

The new version allows users to access their notes, bookmarks and speed dial numbers by logging in to any opera browser, including the mobile phone version Opera Mini. In addition, Opera 9.5 sports new icons and “platform-specific skins” to adapt the interface to the user’s particular OS. The company claims its browser leads in performance, with “dramatic” speed improvements to the e-mail client, RSS feeds and page loading using a multi-layered caching system.

"Opera 9.5 represents the culmination of two years spent listening to our community and transforming our browser," said Jon von Tetzchner, Opera CEO, “It's faster, lighter and pushes us further out in front of other browsers, by blending the mobile and desktop worlds together in new and powerful ways.”