February 5, 2010

18 ways to go back from where you came

One of the things that Opera is famous for is allowing users to have a user experience that can be tailored to the way that each individual wants to use their browser. Because we use computers and surf the Web so much these days, it's great to learn shortcuts to help make browsing a bit faster. No other browser offers as much flexibility as Opera. To give an example, today we will showcase one very important browser feature that everybody uses constantly - Navigating "Back". ...

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February 4, 2010

Raising eyebrows

Good news, everybody! A Lifehacker article posted yesterday is all over Opera 10.50's skinning capabilities. Reader t.click's desktop sports an amazing, totally transparent skin for the Opera browser that uses Aero Glass to render virtually the entire interface.

Lifehacker is now looking for more awesome desktop customization trick or fully-tweaked desktop configurations. Post it over in the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr Group or the Productive Geek featured desktops forum with a description of the programs and tweaks you used (and preferably links as well!), and they just might feature Opera again! :cool:

Also, betanews.com are reporting of obscene Opera 10.50 test results:

The beta is just around the corner. Are you as excited as we are?

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February 3, 2010

Opera Mini for Android

Yes, we are working on an Android version of Opera Mini. We can't confirm when we will launch it, but we will launch it (in the future.) :sherlock:

Just in case any of you were wondering.

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February 2, 2010

Let's win this thing - vote Opera!

During January, thousands of nominations were submitted by readers in a wide variety of categories including Best Major Desktop Browser and Best Mobile Browser for the first About.com Reader's Choice Awards.

Based on the total number of nominations, Opera has qualified as a finalist in the Best Major Desktop Browser category and both Opera Mini and Opera Mobile have qualified as finalists in the Best Mobile Browser category! :yes:

Throughout the month of February, you can vote for a winner in each category.

Support Opera in both the Best Major Desktop Browser and Best Mobile Browser categories.

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February 1, 2010

Adopt an Opera skin

One of our long time members (and skinners) LarsKL, wants you to adopt his skins. This is your chance to be a part of Opera history as some of his skins date back to Opera 7!

If you are able to maintain a skin, he will give it to you. However, he is looking for an individual who has to be dedicated and want to make the best out of his skins and continue maintaining the high quality they are known for!

Check out this list of skins up for adoption and send LarsKL a message if you are interested!

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January 29, 2010

Opera, the Movie Star

In case you haven't seen the excellent performance of Opera in a movie called XIII, here's the YouTube clip:

Do you know any other movies or TV-series Opera has made an appearance in? Let us know as a comment below. :)

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January 28, 2010

The Future of Browsing - The Direction of Web Standards

With the Internet changing at a frenzied pace, we can expect big changes to how we will soon use the Web. In an upcoming series, I will present some ideas about where the future of Web browsing might be headed and what we, as users of the Web, can look forward to in coming years. In this article, we will look at the direction of Web standards, why they are important to normal users of the Web, and the state of progress of these standards over the past.

A quick description: The term "Web standards" refers to the 'rules' to be followed when creating web pages. This encompasses languages like HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that is used for structuring documents, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) that is used to control the look and formatting, ECMAscript (JavaScript), used to make interactive and dynamic websites, and SVG (scalable vector graphics) that allow for images that can change their size as needed and still look sharp.

These standards ensure that the way web pages work and look is similar between different browsers and devices. During the mid-to-late-nineties, when the Web was relatively immature, the coding of web pages was basically dictated by the makers of the major Web browsers. Each vendor had different ways of implementing page design, so Web sites had to detect the browser and serve a slightly different version of each page that exploited quirks in the browsers to work as intended. This presented frustrating problems to users with other browsers, or people who wanted to surf with an alternative platform like a mobile phone.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of champions of standardization (such as Opera Software), we are seeing the standards become embraced universally. These days, there is a greater degree of openness to the standardization process, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ensures that its specifications can be implemented on a Royalty-Free basis. Through the use of emerging standards like HTML5 and CSS3, developers can easily create web pages that look spectacular, and work consistently across platforms and all the latest browsers.

New standards allow for great elegance of design, but few developers are brave enough to use these standards when they know that they won't work for over 15% of people on the Web because they still use the original version of the browser that was bundled with their operating system in 2002.

It is unfortunate that many users either cannot or will not upgrade -- not only will many sites display improperly in these obsolete browsers, but importantly, there are significant security risks for not upgrading, as was highlighted by some recent security incidents that prompted government warnings about using insecure browsers.

With that, I'd like to make some wildly speculative guesses about future of web standards and browsers.

Less reliance on plugins

Advances in web standards should allow significantly more capabilities to be implemented natively within browsers, independent of the vendor. This means that we will see rich, smoothly animated graphics, video, and sound without having to download and upgrade plugins. Although plugins will not go away, this will give developers and users greater flexibility.

A useable Web from anywhere, with any device

It doesn't take much imagination to see that in the future, use of the Web will not be tied to PCs at our desks. In fact, the Gartner research company has predicted that by 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web access device worldwide - a vision that Opera has also had for quite some time. Thanks to the progress of Web standards, users of the web should have a useable and consistent experience regardless of what device they use to get on the Web.

Always up-to-date software allows for faster advancement of the Web

Because it is important for browsers close security vulnerabilities as they are discovered, and because it's becoming easier than ever to keep software updated, I hope that we eventually achieve a situation where almost no one uses browsers that are years out of date. That will mean that as new technologies become available, developers can freely use them to improve Web applications to allow for more uses, better interfaces, and fancier effects.

More on the Web, Less on Our PCs

Advances in Web standards and browsers will allow for sophisticated applications that work as well or better in your Web browser as they once did on your PC, and the line between Web applications and local applications will blur. With this paradigm shift, you now have access to an application or a game from anywhere, and it will work in any browser, on any device.

If the current trends continue, it shouldn't take long before these predictions come to pass given that the pace of technological advancement is ever-increasing. It is exciting to think of the possibilities that the Web will offer us as it becomes more useful and accessible to everyone all over the world -- thanks in part to standardization.

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January 27, 2010

Great news from below the Equator

According to StatCounter, more and more people are starting to use Opera Mini in Brazil. In the past 6 months our market share has grown from around 12% to a whooping 26%! :yes:

It seems like the translation of www.opera.com to Portuguese has helped a lot! Kudos all Brazilian translators for your amazing work!

We are always looking for more volunteers to help translate our Web properties. If you are from Brazil, or know someone who want to help, please let us in the Opera Brasil group know! :up:

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January 26, 2010

Facebook is now the most-visited social network on the mobile Web

Facebook is now the most-visited social network on the mobile Web, according to Opera's State of the Mobile Web report. Unique users of Facebook grew more than 600% during 2009, helping the site surpass VKontakte, formerly the most popular social network among Opera Mini users. Twitter saw its usage increase more than any other social network, surging more than 2800% in just one year.

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January 25, 2010

Learn how to develop mobile widgets with one of the world's largest telecom operators

Develop for the mobile Web

Opera is working closely with Vodafone to help drive the development of the mobile Web. One of the things we're working with Vodafone on is their mobile widgets. Are you a developer wondering how you can use your skills? Or are you a mobile developer looking for a quick route to market? If you are either or both then why not kick start building Mobile Widgets for Vodafone 360 with a FREE entry ticket to App Planet!

What's the event about and when's it taking place?

On Monday, February 15, during Mobile World Congress 2010, Barcelona, Vodafone will host the 360 Developer Conference at App Planet, an “event within an event”. Come along and find out all about Vodafone 360 for developers, tools and tips for developing across multiple operating systems and monetizing your applications in our Shop. You’ll get to see loads of demos and code, and Vodafone is giving away FREE entry tickets!

Yes, there will be a lounge

But it's not going to be all presentations and one-way blah blah, they'll also be hosting a number of interactive sessions where you can question our experts and discuss the challenges of mobile applications development.

On top of that they're hosting an Application Lounge where you can relax and mingle with fellow developers and the Vodafone developer team.

Interested? Find out more about the event and request your free entry ticket.

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January 25, 2010

We like you so much better when you're naked

Check out the "Opera Z1 Glass" skin by Z1-AV69. This new skin (for Opera 10.50 snapshots only) goes all out in terms of transparency effect in Opera 10.50:

How to make it work:

1. Download the latest Opera 10.50 snapshot from the Desktop Team blog.
2. Download the skin Z1-Glass to your skin folder.
3. Select the skin from Tools » Appearance.
4. Click this button to move all tabs to the left (it won't be all transparent if you have the tabs on top).

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January 25, 2010

Video streaming in Second Life

Over the weekend I came across a post explaining how you could use Opera Unite to stream videos directly in a game called "Second Life". It's great to see a tutorial about the subject and I recommend you check out the Stream Media application if you've never tried it. :up:

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January 21, 2010

It works differently than the other browsers

Here's a cool Opera story by Computerworld review editor Barbara Krasnoff:

"I'm writing this on an online document management site using the Opera 10 browser. Interesting, you may murmur. How long has she been an Opera fan? The answer: About three hours. I'm simply somebody whose computer has decided to go wonky -- and who can't get on the Web using anything but Opera."

How did this happen?? Read the full story. :)

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January 21, 2010

Mobile reception at the South Pole?

Norwegians' favorite travel destination, Antarctica, must have good mobile reception. It seems that some have been using Opera Mini in Antarctica. See the graph.

So, what content do you think they've been browsing?

Image "Taking an observation at the pole" by Roald Amundsen, from Wikipedia article "History of Antarctica"

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January 20, 2010

An Era of Choice Begins in March

It is a great time for PC users! After a considerable time, the European Commission and Microsoft have finally come to an agreement that will give Web surfers a proper choice of how they can experience the web. After March 17th 2010 European users of Windows whose default browser is Internet Explorer will be able to receive a Windows Update that shows a Choice Screen (sometimes known as a Ballot Screen) presenting the top 5 Web browsers along with links to install the browsers and to get more information about them. ...

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January 19, 2010

How important is browser security to you?

Last Friday, January 15, the German and French governments recommended that all Internet Explorer users should switch to an alternative browser. We are pleased to see the word about Opera's track record for Web browser security is spreading; Opera downloads in Germany doubled over the weekend!

According to Secunia, a respected firm that tracks security in browsers, Opera has a strong reputation and track record when it comes to browser security.

So, if you're using Opera already, congratulations on making the smart choice to keep yourself safe online. Be sure to tell your friends and family to stay safe as well. Here's a few pointers how to make the Web more secure:

1. Sign up for the Opera affiliate program.
2. Promote Opera on your blog, Twitter, Facebook etc.
3. Keep track of how many friends and visitors you've saved today!

Read more about Opera security and what we do to keep you safe online. :up:

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January 18, 2010

Opera Talks: J.D. Lien

Let's have a chat with a new Opera Employee J.D. Lien, the winner of the Online Writer Internship. Find out what he thinks about moving to Norway and his first impressions of Opera!

Choose Opera: Hi J.D.. Tell us a bit about yourself and winning the internship!

J.D.: I come from the Great White North (Canada, that is), and I'm a geek with a love for technology. I have been a fan of Opera for many years; I've used it as my primary browser since 1998 and it has been exciting for me to watch the development of Opera's products over the years. I was at a point in my career where I was ready for some new challenges, so when the opportunity to work for Opera presented itself on Opera's website I was very excited about the prospect that I could be a part of the fantastic work that Opera does.

Choose Opera: How has your experience been moving to Norway?

J.D.: Although it is not easy to leave everything in my old life behind, the Internet makes it pretty easy to stay in touch with my friends and family, which helps. Norway is a country that has fascinated me for some time, and I have been interested in experiencing what life is like here, and this was an excellent time in my life for me to make such a move.

Unfortunately I was introduced to the country during the worst weather we get in Oslo--which is familiar to me, coming from Edmonton, Canada, but I look forward to experiencing the beautiful Norwegian landscape in the summer.

Choose Opera: What things about working for Opera stand out for you so far?

J.D.: This is a great work environment and there are a lot of things I could say about this! The people working for Opera Software are top notch, great at what they do, and they are also very helpful and easy to get along with. I love that the atmosphere here is quite relaxed which is a great fit for me - one is allowed to work in the style that works for them. Also, the canteen here has great food and helps to save money and time because I don't have to worry about buying or making lunches.

Choose Opera: What excites you most about the future of Opera?

J.D.: Innovation in technology and new and better ways to do things has always been interesting for me. Opera has long been a leader in this area, and I can see no sign of this ending anytime soon. It's very cool to me how Opera is committed to fulfilling their vision of "delivering the best Internet experience on any device", and I look forward to the upcoming support that we will be providing for other mobile platforms that are out there. I think that Opera 10.50 will blow a lot of people's minds with some great improvements and features.

Choose Opera: Are there any features in particular that you like about Opera 10.5?

J.D.: The user interface has been tweaked nicely so that it works efficiently and looks really slick, especially under Windows 7 because of the support for Aero transparency effects and Windows 7 features like Jump Lists. Bookmarks and search history are presented to you as you type text in the address bar in a way that is much more easy to use than before.

Of course, Opera 10.50 leaves no doubt about the speed advantages Opera has. It's incredible how much faster it is than even 10.10 in the preview, so I can't wait to see what the final version is like.

Choose Opera: It sounds like you have used Opera for quite a while, so what have been your favorite Opera features that have been introduced over the years?

J.D.: I love how I could have "sessions" where, if I had to reboot my computer, I could just start Opera and be back to where I left off right away. When Opera introduced search integration into the address field, I thought it was super-slick, and I use custom searches so that I can search my favorite websites simply by prepending the appropriate letter to the query - like "t ces 2010" to search videos on youtube, for example.

The download manager that can be monitored in the sidebar and allows for downloads to be paused and resumed is also great. There are times when that feature has really saved me a ton of time where I might normally have had to restart downloading a very large file. Also, Opera Unite has some neat applications and easily lets me to share pictures of Oslo and Norway with my friends and family back in Canada. I could go on and on about this, I really love so many features of Opera!

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January 13, 2010

Vote for HTML5/Theora support at YouTube to promote open standards!

Help strike a knockout for open formats! YouTube is doing some "spring cleaning" and is looking for feedback on what to fix and improve on their service. It seems that "Support HTML5 open web video with open formats" is the most popular suggestion so far.

If you support open standards, please vote for the "HTML5 open web video with open formats" suggestion! :yes:

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January 7, 2010

Opera Magazine now online

Check out select highlights from the latest Opera Magazine! Opera goes beyond browsing in its second annual magazine. Get inside the head of famed fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, solve all your Web woes with Dr. Web or read about what it takes to be Fatal1ty, the ultimate PC gamer. :cool:

Go to http://www.opera.com/mag to read more or to download the entire magazine. :up:

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January 5, 2010

Best of 2009

Time to take a look at our favorite Opera Unite Applications and Opera Widgets from 2009!

	Twitter Opera 10.2 Alpha	Created for Opera 10.2 Alpha, but it works in 10.x, so go ahead and try the 20% more awesome Twitter Widget!
	File Sharing	Share 10GB in 10 seconds with the file sharing application. No more FTP or third party sites, it's your files on your terms!
	Bubbles	Our old favorite, you might recognize this game from the times when My Opera is updated :wink:
	Photo Sharing	Sometimes you want to share your personal photos without uploading them, this is the way to do it!
	Media Player	Share your music with all your friends, or just a selected few. Access your home music library from wherever you are!
	Vista Editor HTML	The easiest way to edit and format your forum posts. This WYSWYG editor allows you to edit and formate like in your text editor and export it as HTML!
	Document Sync	The easiest way to backup your files from one computer to another. Document sync does all that Opera Unite style!
	The Colours Of The Rainbow	We have a few color picker widgets, but none as extencive as this one, several output and input options makes this application a must have online!
	Webcam	Combine your Webcam with Opera Unite to create a true personal experience. The latest version also features a chat room
	Calendar Clock	Keep track of time with this stylish Calendar. We just love the retro look!

Remember: We are still rewarding the best Opera Unite Applications each week!

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