The Opera team has released the second public beta of Opera 9.5. The web browser packs all the features we've seen in earlier test builds like an improved tab manager, plus a bunch of new features and fixes. Here are just a few:

• Full text history search from the address field
• Spatial navigation highlighting similar to that used in Opera Mini 4 and Opera for the Nintendo Wii
• Opera can now be set as the default mail application from the Windows Control Panel
• Improved IMAP performance in email client
• Improved Acid3 test performance (although like all browsers, Opera 9.5 beta 2 still fails the test)
• Improved compatibility with Gmail 2
• Improved fraud protection
• Support for Extended Validation certificates

In other words, most of the changes won't be that noticeable to the average user. But the latest browser is more secure and should do a better job of rendering some web sites. Opera 9.5 beta 2 is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

[via Opera Desktop Team Blog]