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Opera has confirmed that One R2, the major update to its desktop web browser, will have a release date sometime in mid-October. We’ve had some hands-on time with the new app.
The revised alternative browser (in testing since June) is built around both media and making better use of your computer’s real estate. Most notably, there’s now a split-screen option to see two tabs side by side. If you’re writing about something you read online, you won’t have to open two browser windows (or two separate apps) to see both pages.
You can also mark tabs with emojis to help recognize them, and look for “traces” (faint underscores) that show the tabs you most recently viewed. Ideally, you won’t spend as much time searching for the tab you last looked at.
Music listeners get one of the larger upgrades as well. The music player can now detach from the sidebar and float wherever you like. And if you start playing a web video, any playing music will intelligently pause until you’re done.
Opera One R2 makes Aria AI more useful as well. You can generate images, or have Aria analyze pictures. The AI can speak its answers rather than just producing text. Use the command line and a Page Context mode lets you summarize content, find info on a site, or translate its material.
Content picks give start page users a curated article set that “makes you feel good,” according to Product Director Joanna Czajka. Dynamic themes, meanwhile, can be set to different intensities and play sounds as you interact with the browser.
Techopedia had a chance to try the near-finished version of Opera One R2, and it’s definitely more useful if you’re the sort who has many open tabs and windows. The split-screen view is simple to create and manage, and the combination of tab emoji and trace labels isn’t just cute — it could save you from clicking back and forth between similar-looking tabs.
The detachable music player might also seem like a small addition, but it’s not. I often prefer dedicated music apps because of their mini-player views, but that’s not strictly necessary here. I’d be happy to run Apple Music or Spotify on the web and use the new player.
Some features, such as the content picks and dynamic themes, probably won’t get much use from me. The theming in particular seems better-suited to Opera’s gaming-oriented GX browser instead. It’s nice to have the options if you’re tired of the familiar, static appearance of rivals like Chrome and Safari.
