Opera introduces Reborn 3, the first desktop browser with Web 3, faster VPN and ad blocker

April 9th, 2019

Reborn 3 (Opera 60) was designed to improve people’s control over their privacy, security, and to give them access to Web 3, the Web of the future

Hello,

Today, we are launching Opera 60, codenamed Reborn 3. With this release, we believe we are setting a new standard for browsers. In our entire Reborn series, we have challenged the browsers of today, aiming to provide you with features that, we believe, improve your online experience.

With this release, we are introducing a new, borderless design inspired by low-key and high-key lighting photography. It turns the browser into the perfect frame for the Web.

Opera now also includes Web 3-support and a Crypto Wallet, an important new feature. It allows you to browse and make transactions the blockchain-based Internet of the future, also known as Web 3. This makes Opera the first ever Web 3-ready computer browser. Combined with a built-in VPN and ad blocker, Opera gives you all the tools you need to be in control of your digital life.

We believe these features should constitute the new standard of browsing and that users shouldn’t settle for anything less. After all, the browser remains the most important application through which you interact with the Web over many hours each day. At Opera, we want to improve the quality, privacy and security of your web browsing and to give you access to features other browsers don’t yet have.

Opera comes with new design

With Reborn 3, we put Web content at center stage. We’ve removed dividing lines between sections so you can browse without borders and unhindered by unnecessary distractions. And, just as no one frame is effective for every picture or in every lighting, we’ve given the browser two distinct themes, light and dark.

The design of each of these themes was inspired by high-key and low-key lighting photography, where the goals are to maximize or minimize the amount of light in a photo while still retaining contrast. Depending on your mood, your setting or the content you are viewing, you are in control of how you frame the Web.

With the light theme, your entire browser, including the sidebar and tab area, is bright and clean. To us, this evokes a feeling of openness and optimism. We designed it to spark productivity and to lift your mood.

The dark theme signifies to us a certain elegance and focus. It turns the browser dark and subdued, almost mysterious. But on a practical note, it’s also soothing for the eyes.

It comes down to what works best for you – we’re giving you a choice to frame your web browsing in a way that works for you.

Opera’s design changes

Our vision of minimalism is such that your browser is more functional for your daily use, not less. That’s why, with this release, we have moved some of the features to make them more accessible without getting in your way.

Tabs have been redesigned to elicit a visceral response; whichever tab you have open, it feels physically open and stays on top of other tabs.

After thorough testing we have also decided to move Easy Setup and snapshot to the access bar, where they are better placed for convenient access.

Opera’s sci-fi short story about the choices we make in our digital lives

Once you access the Easy Setup area, you will also notice two “special edition” themes. They have been inspired by a short, futuristic film we shot to depict the journey we go through our everyday lives to regain control over our digital lives.

To watch and read the story, click the picture above or go to www.opera.com/escape

New place for the snapshot tool

The snapshot tool, which lets you take screenshots of a website, has now been placed next to other web browsing functionalities such as “Send to My Flow” and bookmarks. This means that all the key interactions you can have with a website, such as adding it to bookmarks, sending it to your “Flow” or taking a screenshot, are in one place.

Protect your information with our free and unlimited browser VPN

Opera is the only browser which features a built-in VPN service. This is a feature we have been offering for a while but we now have made it much faster.

A virtual private network, or VPN, replaces your local IP address with a virtual one, making it difficult for websites to determine the location you are browsing from. We consider your location to be your own private information, and if you wish to withhold this while you are browsing, we believe you have the right to do so. Using a VPN also protects you when browsing on a public network from other users sharing this network. Many third-party VPNs have expensive rates, low data limits and are based around unsafe extensions.

Our browser VPN is completely free and unlimited, as well as being a no-log service. Our VPN servers do not log or retain any activity data.

Block out distractions with built- in ad blocker

Web users are finding their browsing increasingly disrupted by ads. Websites have become increasingly aggressive with the quantity and content of their ads. It can be frustrating to visit a site for a particular purpose, only to have your screen filled with content you don’t want in the form of ads.

Opera was the first among major browsers to add a native ad blocker for faster browsing. The built-in ad blocker lets you choose to opt out of this cluttered version of the web.

Opera’s ad blocker is turned off by default when you first download the browser. To activate it, simply open the “Easy Setup” panel and toggle the “Block ads” switch. The browser will start blocking ads on all websites. However, if you want a specific page to run ads, you can make an exception and turn off the ad blocker for that page. You can do that in by clicking the ad blocker icon in the address bar.

Moving from Web 2 to Web 3

As it has since its creation, the Web continues to evolve. The first iteration of the Web allowed users to access information on static websites, but didn’t offer any interactive elements. The current generation of the Web, often referred to as Web 2.0, made the Web into a community, where users not only received information but also shared their own. Social media platforms let people share their lives online; shopping sites let people buy and sell. But people have become aware that these networks, and therefore their information, are controlled by a few select companies. While the Web seemed to be growing, it was in some ways actually consolidating.

Web 3 is an answer to this. Web 3 is an umbrella term for a set of emerging technologies intersecting cryptocurrencies, blockchains and distributed systems that, together, extend the capabilities of the Web we all use today in important and meaningful ways.

It is the decentralized Web, where information is in the hands of the users.

Cryptocurrency and blockchain offer a new level of security for online transactions. A Crypto Wallet functions similarly to a physical wallet in that it not only stores currency, but it houses your identification. It presents a completely secure way for you to identify yourself to websites.
Users are able to complete peer-to-peer transactions, bypassing major corporations who previously monopolized these processes. Non-fungible tokens represent entirely unique digital objects that cannot be replicated; you can truly own digital things. Decentralized apps, or dApps, are a possibility for apps to function independent of the device they are accessed on.

Browse Web 3 on your PC, sign transactions with your smartphone

The Web 3 explorer feature in Opera lets you access applications on the Ethereum blockchain also known as dApps.

The Crypto Wallet, which lets you store cryptocurrency but also tokens and collectibles in the Opera computer browser syncs with the Crypto Wallet in the Opera browser for Android. This means wallet keys never leave your smartphone. In practice, whenever you need to identify yourself to a Web 3 website or sign a transaction on the blockchain, you will get a notification on their smartphone. You’ll be able to confirm it in the same way you unlock your system, using, for example, facial recognition or a fingerprint.

In our pursuit of empowering users to improve all aspects of their web experience, we feel this is the most powerful development, truly the beginning of a new era of the Web.

Opera offers users the tools they need to reclaim control

Opera’s built-in VPN, ad blocking and Crypto Wallet make it the only modern browser to put you in complete control over your digital life, while also giving you a glimpse of the future of the Web. In the world we live in today, we feel this couldn’t be of more importance.

We created a short film we titled “Escape” in which a woman travels through a futuristic world in search of regaining control of her digital life. You can watch it here.

The Opera browser features two special edition animated themes inspired by the film. Try them out by going to the Easy Setup section in the top-right corner of the screen.

Happy browsing!

All changes are listed in the changelog.

Installation links: