A tour of the WebKit-based Opera for Android (pictures)

Off-road Mode puts Opera into proxy-browser mode similar to what Opera Mini uses, which means Opera's servers do the hard work of reading Web pages. They then send a boiled-down version to the browser so that slow networks aren't such a problem. Opera plans to integrate the Skyfire video-compression technology into the technology.

Opera's new WebKit-based browser for Android phones is due to ship by the second quarter of 2013 -- maybe even the first if Opera Software CEO Lars Boilesen gets his way.

The Discovery tool, reachable by sweeping the Speed Dial page to the left or by tapping the compass-pointer icon on the Opera menu, shows a selection of Web content tailored to each user.

You can set up Discovery's data sources by selecting or deselecting various categories and by specifying a particular region. In the future, the feature will factor in gender, too. The content feeds themselves are picked by Opera.

The new Opera for Android will get a revamped Speed Dial page to launch frequently used pages. Multiple entries can be collected into folders, letting Opera absorb the formerly separate bookmark ability.

When you drag one Speed Dial icon on top of another, it forms a new category similar to iOS folders. The browser then lets you rename the category.

If you want to remove an icon from the Speed Dial page, you can long-press it to select it, then drag it to the "remove" area that appears at the top of the screen.

Opera for Android lets you swipe among open pages after clicking the small number at the top of the screen that denotes how many tabs you have open.

Tapping the three vertically stacked dots to the upper right of the tab-switching page reveals menu options for closing all your tabs or opening a private tab. Private tabs don't leave traces in cookie files or browsing history.

The overhauled Opera browser works when the phone is in landscape mode, too.

Swiping to the left or right of the Speed Dial page shows browsing history and the new Discovery page with Opera-curated content.

Here's a look at the browsing history page on the new Opera for Android.

When you type in the combination search-and-address bar, Opera can retrieve search results suggestions from Google.