There is a new browser on the block and its name is Vivaldi. From Opera software cofounder and CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner comes a browser aimed at ‘staunch technologists and heavy internet users’. Screenshots of the browser are at the bottom of this blog.
Here at Cosmic we are keen to try out any new digital opportunity so I downloaded it onto my computer and set about trying it out. On first view it looks clean and easy to navigate, with a clever trick of the tab changing colour depending on the website you are viewing – for example sign into Facebook and it becomes blue. Log in to YouTube and it becomes red. A nice little addition, although not essential to useability.
Obviously my preferred browser needs to accommodate all my needs, and as I use Pinterest on a daily basis I attempted to pin from a number of sites, which is where my first problem set in. There doesn’t seem to be a downloadable pin button available through Vivaldi, and so if the website isn’t pinnable it does affect your ability to pin the images. I searched through the Vivaldi community (which is a great resource) and the same problem came up there too. Unfortunately this is an essential for me and so I pressed pause on using the browser and went back to Safari.
However, to properly review a product, it needs to go beyond whether I can pin! So, regardless of whether it is going to be a permanent issue or not I needed to explore the other possibilities that Vivaldi can offer.
Like I said, the browser is clean and simple to use. On the left hand side you have a number of functions, which includes a great ‘download’ option. Reading a number of reviews of the browser highlights what a great addition this is, as other browsers don’t have as useable an option as this. Plus you can add notes which can include a URL, view your history, make bookmarks, add contacts and (currently unavailable) access Vivaldi mail – all at the click of a button and very easy to navigate.
These options make it easy to switch from one function to another, which means that you don’t need to leave the browser to access each one.
When opening a new tab you have a ‘speed dial’ but you also have the opportunity to create a folder of other webpages. This is great if you use a large number of pages and use certain ones for certain projects, as each folder can be segregated.
Other additions are at the bottom of the browser where you can alter the size of the page easily by scrolling the bar up or down. At the side of this you can click arrows that allow you to change the page to black & white, 3D, or create filters, skewed images or transitions – which is a funky little addition. If you want to remove images from the page you can do this too – which means that the page can load even quicker than it already does. However, the speed of the browser seems quick in comparison to others (and I regularly use Chrome and Safari.)
With all these functions it is easy to see why Vivaldi is starting to become a browser of choice with many web users. It is quick, easy to navigate and has a large number of options that can make your working day more manageable.
However, if I can’t pin, I’m not going to use it. I am hoping to receive an update very soon that can tell me otherwise as aside from that it’s all looking positive!
Why not try it out for yourself and let us know how you get on?