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A tour of the WebKit-based Opera for Android (pictures)

Opera Software has revamped its mobile browser for Android using the open-source WebKit engine. Here's a look at an early release with a new Off-road Mode and Discovery feature.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
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WebKit-based Opera for Android

Off-road Mode puts Opera into proxy-browser mode similar to what Opera Mini uses, which means Opera's servers do the hard work of reading Web pages. They then send a boiled-down version to the browser so that slow networks aren't such a problem. Opera plans to integrate the Skyfire video-compression technology into the technology.
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2 of 13 Stephen Shankland/CNET

WebKit-based Opera for Android

Opera's new WebKit-based browser for Android phones is due to ship by the second quarter of 2013 -- maybe even the first if Opera Software CEO Lars Boilesen gets his way.
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Discovery mode in Opera for Android

The Discovery tool, reachable by sweeping the Speed Dial page to the left or by tapping the compass-pointer icon on the Opera menu, shows a selection of Web content tailored to each user.
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Discovery configuration

You can set up Discovery's data sources by selecting or deselecting various categories and by specifying a particular region. In the future, the feature will factor in gender, too. The content feeds themselves are picked by Opera.
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5 of 13 Stephen Shankland/CNET

WebKit-based Opera for Android

The new Opera for Android will get a revamped Speed Dial page to launch frequently used pages. Multiple entries can be collected into folders, letting Opera absorb the formerly separate bookmark ability.
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6 of 13 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Speed Dial categories

When you drag one Speed Dial icon on top of another, it forms a new category similar to iOS folders. The browser then lets you rename the category.
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Deleting Speed Dial entries

If you want to remove an icon from the Speed Dial page, you can long-press it to select it, then drag it to the "remove" area that appears at the top of the screen.
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Tab switching in Opera for Android

Opera for Android lets you swipe among open pages after clicking the small number at the top of the screen that denotes how many tabs you have open.
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Private browsing in Opera for Android

Tapping the three vertically stacked dots to the upper right of the tab-switching page reveals menu options for closing all your tabs or opening a private tab. Private tabs don't leave traces in cookie files or browsing history.
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Landscape-oriented Opera for Android

The overhauled Opera browser works when the phone is in landscape mode, too.
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WebKit-based Opera for Android

Swiping to the left or right of the Speed Dial page shows browsing history and the new Discovery page with Opera-curated content.
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12 of 13 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Browser history in Opera for Android

Here's a look at the browsing history page on the new Opera for Android.
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Search suggestions in Opera for Android

When you type in the combination search-and-address bar, Opera can retrieve search results suggestions from Google.

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