Items tagged with Opera
Android users that are looking for a browser other than Chrome and are concerned with privacy may want to try Opera 51 for Android. Opera for Android adds a free VPN service to allow users to mask their location for more privacy and to thwart web tracking tools. Opera VPN, a standalone VPN app for Android and iOS, launched in 2016, but the app was discontinued last year. Bundling the VPN into the Android browser means that Android users who have used the dedicated VPN app in the past can go with the browser and take advantage of the Opera VPN again. A VPN is also wrapped into the desktop version of Opera. The VPN feature is baked into Opera 51 for Android and was available in the beta...
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Makers of the Opera browser are fighting back against the recent trend of hijacking people's browsers with cryptocurrency mining scripts. The Scandinavian browser maker became the first to implement built-in protections against such scripts in the desktop version of Opera, and now the company has turned its attention to its mobile browsers, with built-in protections for Opera Mini and Opera for Android. Cryptocurrency mining is obviously very big right now, and somewhat recently, mining scripts that hijack web browsers have started to appear. Known as cryptojacking, it's estimated that more 3 billion websites are running these scripts, affecting more than 1 billion people around the globe. In...
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Everyone is flipping out over cryptocurrency after seeing Bitcoin continue to skyrocket in value (the recent dip notwithstanding). It seems everyone wants a piece of the action, including some website owners, who have started injecting digital coin mining code on webpages. When you visit one of these sits, it taps into your CPU, sometimes without your knowledge or consent. That's not cool, and Opera is doing something about it. The latest Opera beta, version 50, includes a new feature blocks these scripts from running. It's called NoCoin and it is a work in progress. NoCoin is part of Opera's built-in ad blocking technology, which is disabled by default. We are not sure how well it actually works...
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The Opera team has gone and completely revamped its Opera browser for Windows PCs and Macs. Codenamed "Reborn," the newest version of Opera puts a heavy emphasis on chat with native integration of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The idea is to allow Opera users to chat with friends while browsing the web, and do it without having multiple windows (and programs) open. "Browsing and chatting simultaneously is cumbersome and inefficient now, as you need to switch between tabs when responding to a message. We believe this needs to change. That’s why we bring you Opera Reborn, the first browser to allow messengers to reside within your browser, without the need to install any extensions...
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Are you bored with your current web browser? Do you wish that your web browser of choice was more artsy or experimental? Well, Opera Neon is now available and presents the latest concept for desktop browsers. Opera Neon has been designed to “engage your senses” and “free your mind”. It incorporates the computer’s wallpaper into the browser which is intended to get rid of “desktop clutter”. Users can also use two Neon-inspired wallpapers by graphic artist Luke Choice. The browser’s “newly developed physics engine is set to breathe life back into the internet.” Old school Opera features such as visual tabs, the omnibox, and Speed Dial now “float” to start the browsing session. Objects and...
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Data breaches happen all too frequently to companies both big and small. The latest victim is Opera Software, the Scandinavian outfit behind the Opera browser that's especially popular on mobile devices. Opera's security team said it detected signs of a attack on its sync system, and though the hack was quickly blocked, it believes the culprit(s) still made off with some stolen data. Users who take advantage of Opera's sync feature had their account details compromised in the attack, including their passwords and login names. Though Opera only stores encrypted (for synchronized passwords) or hashed and salted (for authentication) passwords in its system, it took the precautionary step of resetting...
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As if we needed another vector for our online privacy to be invaded, it appears that site operators may have another tool at their disposal when it comes tracking visitors. Security researchers from Princeton University have identified two scripts that are actively tracking users across the web using an HTML5 API. The Battery Status API is part of the HTML5 standard, and can be found in modern browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, and Mozilla Firefox. Using the API, a website can determine if a mobile device’s battery is close to full capacity, near depletion, or anywhere in between. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) describes the API, writing in its official documentation, “Given knowledge of...
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You can browse cute cat pictures for longer than ever before, now that Opera has released a new battery saver that claims to increase battery life by about 50% compared to other browsers like Google Chrome. So far the feedback from Twitter has been positive with comments from users like @jonathanhaslett exclaiming “Somehow @opera became the best desktop web browser without anyone noticing.” Opera started testing this update in May via its developer channel. Opera Software stated, “It took us quite some time to normalize our test environments, but still the challenge was to be able to repeat the tests multiple times in order to get statistically meaningful results. Draining battery fully...
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One of the key metrics when evaluation a laptop is battery life. For some people, it's the most important measurement, or at least right up there with overall performance. But what if you could dramatically improve performance just by using a specific web browser? Opera Software is testing a new power saving mode in a developmental build of Opera that it says can extend battery life by up to 50 percent. "We are the first major browser to include a dedicated power saving mode, designed to extend your laptop battery life by up to 50 percent compared with, for example, Google Chrome. Depending on your type of hardware, it can mean several hours more browsing before you need to recharge your laptop,"...
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The Internet is an ever changing congruous mass of standards, design, and interoperability challenges. Keeping on top of it all can be a daunting task. It's a delicate balance between features, security and performance. If you're considering swapping out your web browser for something new and fresh, but are uncertain over the real world performance differences, this article should help with lots of insight. Features are not something that can be easily compared, and will be up to you to decide what you want in a browser. As for security, that is in a constant state of flux, and issuing metrics of flaws discovered vs. fixed, paints a very distorted view of what's trule "better" between the various...
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Looking to change things up on your Android device? You can try the brand-spanking-new version of Opera Software's Opera Mini mobile browser, available free of charge from Google Play. Even if you've used Opera Mini on your handset or tablet before, the new version with its "dramatically redesigned interface" will offer a different experience. Opera was shooting for a native Android look and feel with its revamped mobile browser. You'll find goodies like a simplified menu, an overhauled Speed Dial, private browsing mode so you shop birthday gifts on the down low (because that's what we use private browsing for, right? Right!?), options to customize the browser layout for thumb-friendly surfing,...
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Who says you'll have to settle for second-best when trying to compute on a smartwatch? Samsung's Gear S watch now has its first full browser en route courtesy of Opera. The company has announced that it'll bring Opera Mini, a data-saving browser, to the Tizen-based Gear S. The browser isn't just a straight port, either. It'll include a handful of touch-friendly features that'll make smartwatch interactions more seamless -- for example, the website shortcuts on Opera Mini’s Speed Dial appear as large buttons, enabling Gear S users to reach their favorite sites in a single tap. To zoom, double-tap with a finger, or, to get a more precise view, just pinch to zoom. A gentle swipe with your...
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The latest edition of the Opera browser, Opera 21, is now available for Windows and Mac. Chief among the many changes, tweaks, and updates is hardware acceleration via Aura technology. Aura “allows us to hardware-accelerate the entire browser, including the user interface,” wrote the Opera Desktop team in a blog post. Aura acceleration promises smoother and more responsive animations. The Opera folks spent a great deal of effort simply making Aura work correctly with the browser, and as such they say they’ve just scratched the surface of what the technology can do. Interestingly, they didn’t use Aura on the Mac version of Opera 21, instead leveraging Apple Core Animation...
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Now this is one that we didn’t see coming. Opera announced Opera Web Pass, a product that will allow mobile operators to “sponsor” users’ mobile data. In other words, you could enjoy free mobile data as long as you’re willing to endure ads from a given sponsor first. The company paying the advertising is paying for your mobile access. Using the Opera mini browser, you could pull up Web Pass options, select one, and be browsing the web right away. Perhaps you get a one-day unlimited web pass, or a week of Twitter use (sponsored by Twitter), or an hour of Facebook (sponsored by Facebook)--you get the idea. Mobile operators can also tailor web passes to local use cases...
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