Opera's 'Flow' keeps its new mobile and desktop browsers synced
Opera's new mobile browser was designed to be used with one hand.
Opera continues to lag behind Chrome and its other rivals, but it's not out of the browser game just yet. The company has launched a brand new mobile browser, an updated one for desktop and a way to keep them synced and connected even without logging in. Its new mobile browser called Opera Touch was specifically designed to be used with one hand, so you can do searches and browse websites even if you're holding onto a subway strap or carrying a baby with the other.
When you launch the browser, the keyboard's already up and the cursor's already blinking on the address bar -- all you need to do is start typing what you want to search for. Opera also made sure you can access its key features with one thumb, including the new Fast Action Button (gloriously nicknamed FAB) at the bottom of the screen, which gives you a way to quickly switch between the most recent tabs and the search function.
If you want a seamless way to connect your phone and PC browsers, though, Touch's most useful offering is a new feature called "Flow." According to Opera, 69 percent of smartphone users don't use their browsers' syncing features, because doing so typically requires you to log in and follow a set of steps. You'd only need to set up Flow once: after you update to the latest version of Opera on your desktop, simply activate the feature and scan the QR code that pops up with the Touch browser. Once that's done, anything you add to Flow -- any website, page, video, and so on and so forth -- on one device will be accessible on the other. And, yes, the feature is end-to-end encrypted.
Opera is holding a live online launch on its website right now (April 25th, 4AM ET). But you can also watch videos featuring the new browsers below:
