Despite its long history, ะpera is a web browser that has remained slightly under the radar. In a world dominated by the big three, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, Opera has been working hard to gain a larger market share.
In this context, as we informed you at the end of April, the Norwegian company has decided to rethink its approach, transforming its flagship product, the Opera web browser, into the brand new Opera One.
Opera One: Looking into the Future
The last stable release of Opera, version 100, which came out a few days ago, marks a turning point in the browser’s evolution, transforming it into a completely new product, rewritten from the ground up, which will henceforth be known as Opera One.
Three features stand out: native browser AI, the new Tab Islands functionality, and the browser’s Modular Design. Let’s look at them.
Built-in Browser AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now all around us, changing how we search for and consume information. The new Opera One bets on this trend, becoming the first browser with an integrated AI called Aria.
As people who obsess over browser innovation, we saw fit to rethink the role of the browser in light of the recent developments in the AI space. As opposed to other browser companies, Opera didnโt simply add AI services to its browser. We went back to the drawing board and redesigned our flagship browser. Opera One is built around Aria, our native browser AI, and is the culmination of our work so far.โ
Joanna Czajka, product director at Opera
How to use it? It’s easy. Just hit the “Ctrl + /” keyboard shortcut to display an overlay and ask Aria a question.
At the same time, users can use the command line to interact with Aria and then decide whether to continue interacting with the browser AI’s response in the sidebar or return to surfing the web.
Operaโs new browser AI is a key component of Opera One. The service results from Operaโs collaboration with OpenAI but is enhanced by additional capabilities such as adding live results from the web.
Opera Oneโs Tab Islands
Another exciting feature of the brand-new Opera One is Tab Islands โ an intuitive experience designed primarily with a mind for users that interact with multiple tabs.
So, have you ever had dozens of tabs open that you get lost in and must go through each to find what youโre looking for? That will no longer be an issue with Opera One.
For example, if you search Google for โHow to Install Arch,โ all links opened from the results list will be grouped into a separate โisland,โ making it easy to switch to it.
In short, Opera Oneโs Tab Islands is an exciting new feature that allows users to keep related tabs together intuitively based on context without forcing them to change their habits.
Modular Design
Opera One has been redesigned according to Modular Design. But what’s this means? Ok, let me explain.
UI (User Interface) modular design is an approach where a UI is broken down into smaller, self-contained components or modules that can be combined and reused across different user interface parts.
This is most noticeable in the revamped sidebar and tabs modules.
As a result, thanks to its modular interface, the elements in Opera Oneโs respective module adjust automatically to make room as features are added or tabs are opened.
You can find more information about all novelties in the official announcement.
Bottom Line
The new Opera One browser introduces some standout features that elevate the browsing experience. Each brings unique advantages and contributes to a more efficient, personalized, and user-friendly browsing experience.
Will this new approach help Opera get a bigger share in the browser niche? Only time will tell. Until then, you can download the browser, install it, and see firsthand if you like it.
Opera One is available and free to download for Windows, Linux, and macOS from the official website. The current Linux version is available as a DEB package for local installation if you run Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, MX Linux, or another Debian or Ubuntu-based distribution.
Other Linux users can install it as a Flatpak package directly from Flathub. So what are you waiting for? It may become your next daily driver. Give it a shot.
