Spiffy new version of Opera hits Mac (both Intel and PPC)

Heads up to you Mac folk. Opera has released a new version of its eponymous browser, version 10.52, that brings a number of improvements to the game. Might be we worth a look if you’re tired of Safari and Firefox, or don’t want to subject yourself to the Google borg with Chrome.

The first thing you’ll notice is the new, more Mac-like interface. That’s a good thing.

Then there’s support for Growl, HTML5, and multi-touch browsing.

It uses a new Javascript engine, so sites that make heavy use of that—Gmail says hi—should be a little speedier.

I haven’t seen benchmarks, but I’m using it right now on my cruddy old MacBook and it seems quick enough. To be honest, I really can’t tell the difference in Web page rendering when we’re talking milliseconds.

Oh, and this new Opera works with both Intel and PPC Macs, something Mozilla said it’s going to stop in the near future.

Just another browser choice. Nothing wrong with that.