Opera, long an also-ran in terms of market share but frequently an innovator in the browser space, will have several tweaks for users when it launches its new software later this summer. Among them is a service that will automatically streamline Web pages -- thereby increasing download speeds -- when it detects that a user has a slow Internet connection.

But a more intriguing service, dubbed Opera Unite, essentially builds a Web server into the browser. The service allows consumers to directly share photos or host online chats from their browser, rather than through a Web site such as Flickr or Facebook.

Those aren't the only innovations out there. Microsoft's latest Internet Explorer adds a host of new features, including what the company calls "accelerators." These are tools that speed up everyday browsing tasks, such as searching for a particular address on a Web map.

Instead of having to copy an address and paste it into a mapping Web site, a consumer using the latest version of Internet Explorer can simply right click on the address and ask the software to map it right in the same browser window.

Mobile devices

Analysts expect the browser battles -- and the innovations -- to continue, particularly as the center of gravity for the Web moves to the mobile phone. Apple's iPhone has shown that many consumers are eager to have a full Web experience on their mobile device.

Thanks to the iPhone and others, such as the Palm Pre and the T-Mobile G1, a rapidly growing number of handheld devices these days include full Web browsers. Analysts expect that number to eventually surpass the number of consumers who access the Web via a PC.

And unlike the PC, where Microsoft's Windows has long ruled, no operating system -- or Web browser -- is yet dominant on mobile phones.

"It's the battle of the browsers all over again," said Al Hilwa, who covers the browser market for IDC, a research firm. "We don't know who's going to win."

Contact Troy Wolverton at twolverton@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5021. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/troywolv.

A brewing battle

Rivals have steadily sliced into Internet Explorer"s lead

Browser

Market share May 2007

Market Share May 2008

Market Share May 2009

Microsoft Internet Explorer

78.9%

73.8%

65.5%

Mozilla Firefox

14.6%

18.4%

21.4%

Apple Safari

4.8%

6.3%

8.4%

Google Chrome

N/A

N/A

1.9%

Opera

0.4%

0.7%

0.7%

Includes all PC and smartphone versions. Share represents portion of visits by unique visitors to a sample of sites.