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Opera browser rebuilt into Google Chrome's 'cousin'


Norwegian browser maker Opera has rebuilt its product from the ground, turning it into a cousin of sorts of Google's Chrome.
 
The new desktop browser, dubbed Opera Next, is powered by Chromium, the same engine under the hood of the Chrome browser.
 
"Opera for desktop has not only been redesigned; it's also completely re-engineered under the hood. With the Chromium engine, users get a standards-compliant and high-performance browser," Opera said.
 
It said the browser's Off-Road mode, formerly known as Opera Turbo, now supports Google's SPDY protocol to speed up the loading of web pages "even in the toughest of network conditions."
 
Also, Opera promised a "new, elegant design" along with new features to make the browsing experience "sleeker and easier than ever."
 
“Completely rethinking a browser in today's competitive market is a big thing," said Opera Software SVP of Desktop Products, Krystian Kolondra.
 
The latest improvements in the newest Opera browser include:
 
  • Speed Dial: Speed Dial shortcuts can be gathered in folders and easily filtered.
  • Discover: the new feature allows a user to be fed with new articles from one's country or locality.
  • Stash: Hitting the heart icon in the address bar allows one to "collect" websites for comparison.
  • Search: A user can now search directly from the new combined address and search bar.
 
Numbering
 
Meanwhile, Opera said its new desktop and mobile browsers will now reflect the version number of the engine powering the browser.
 
As such, it said the new Opera for Android is numbered 14, while the newest Opera for desktop is named 15.
 
Opera also said it is making its email client a standalone offer, so it takes up less memory and space in the browser.
 
Meanwhile, a separate article on The Next Web noted over 300 million people use Opera's mobile and desktop Web browser apps.
 
"Now that Opera’s desktop browser is based on Chromium, having ditched its own Presto rendering engine first for WebKit and now Blink, there’s a good reason for you to give it a whirl if you haven’t tried it in a while," it said. — TJD, GMA News
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