Opera adds crypto wallet to its desktop browser, launches anti-Chrome campaign in Europe
Opera has updated its eponymous web browser for desktop platforms with a makeover and a number of features. On the sidelines, the Norway-headquartered browser maker also launched a marketing campaign to cash in on the EU regulatory order that requires Google to give Android users in Europe more options to choose their preferred browser.
Dubbed ‘Reborn 3,’ the latest version of Opera for Windows, macOS, and Linux includes a native cryptocurrency wallet. The addition of this into the desktop browser follows Opera’s Android app getting this feature in December. The wallet keys and transactions are synced between the desktop and mobile browsers, the company said.
Jan Standal, VP of Marketing at Opera, told VentureBeat that the company plans to bring the feature to the iOS app soon. The crypto wallet currently supports Ethereum cryptocurrency. Opera is the first popular browser to include a crypto wallet in its browser. Standal said the feature has been “well received” by users so far, though he declined to share any figures or say whether Opera intends to add support for more cryptocurrencies in the future.
Additionally, Opera is speeding up the free VPN feature, another remarkable feature of its browser, Standal said. Last month, the company added this feature to its Android app as well. These blockchain and privacy-focused features are part of Opera’s push to make its browser support so-called “web 3.” Standal described web 3 as a “paradigm shift” on the web that will enable developers and users to interact with the web in new ways.
Part of web 3’s charm — if there is one — is that it is trying to replace existing mainstream services such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Drive, from large corporations with decentralized options such as Steemit, Storj, Siacoin, and Status. Opera says the updated version of its browser supports such web 3 apps, so a user could “type in the address of a web 3 application into the address bar of the Opera computer browser and they will be able to explore web 3.” It’s too early to say whether web 3 wields any actual benefits for users, or if it just a gimmick.
Opera has also launched a campaign called Escape as part of which it has made a short science fiction film to educate users about how they could regain control of their digital lives. The campaign, which will also see Opera invest in marketing, is aimed at making its browser a prominent name in people’s minds in Europe as they get more control over choosing their preferred web browser. Last month, Google said it would give people in Europe more choice over the browser and search engine they wish to use in Android following regulatory action.
“Foremost, we want to provide people with browsers that are equipped with features we believe they need to handle a modern web. We are now the only major browser that has these unique features and our challenge is to make people, especially in Europe, aware of the choices they have,” Standal said.
In an earnings call with investors in February, Opera revealed that its desktop browser had more than 60 million monthly active users, up 11% since late 2017. More than 200 million people use Opera’s smartphone products as of Q4 2018, the company said.
If these features don’t cut it for you, Opera 60 is also getting a new paint job. It is introducing a borderless design to make the web browsing experiences less distracting.
http://bit.ly/2FUbkJa April 9, 2019 at 03:11AM @BruceDayne, @Manish Singh April 9, 2019 at 04:27AM