Opera adds a better reader mode to its powerful Android browser
February 06 2020 - 3:00AM
Opera (NASDAQ:OPRA) is releasing the newest version of its flagship
Android browser. Version 56 of the Opera browser for Android comes
with a significantly enhanced reader mode: the redesigned feature
improves readability and allows users to stay focused on the
content they are reading.
The improved reader mode is Opera’s latest
effort to allow people to focus on the content they want, without
distractions. Regardless of a website's design, it displays
articles in an optimized format that improves their
readability.
Designed for maximum
readability
While redesigning the new reader mode, Opera’s
design team kept in mind both mobile phones and tablets which come
in many screen sizes. The way people hold their devices and the
distance between their eyes and the screen also varies from person
to person.
“Websites are often jampacked with distractions
and their design is inconsistent. This makes it easy to lose focus
and sometimes even forget what it was that we were reading,” said
Peter Wallman, SVP of browsers at Opera. “Our goal with the
improved reader mode is to allow our users to focus solely on the
articles of their choice and to give them a consistent and pleasant
reading experience.”
The reader mode puts content front and
center
Opera’s improved reader fixes problems such as
dense layouts and small fonts. The improved reader mode in the
browser utilizes fonts such as Roboto for the text body and Roboto
Slab when it comes to the headlines. The font sizes were selected
based on feedback from Opera users and a series of tests. The
chosen font sizes were the most comfortable to read, even for
people who have vision problems. Roboto Slab also includes serifs,
which makes article headlines look more like newspaper headlines
and differentiates the text from the system font used in the rest
of the browser’s UI.
Once enabled, the reader mode converts suitable
web pages into a simplified format, displaying a neater version of
the articles: the font is changed for maximum readability, and the
top navigation, as well as ads on a website, is hidden.
“Our focus with the new reader mode was to make
content the central element that a user focuses on. I think we’ve
succeeded,” added Wallman.
A powerhouse of features
In 2019, the Opera browser for Android added
more than 100 features, both big and small, making it the most
powerful browser available in app stores today. These features
include a free and unlimited VPN (Virtual private network), an
improved ad blocker, a cookie dialog blocker as well as an
integrated crypto wallet that allows users to access Web 3 and
conduct transactions with the most popular cryptocurrencies, such
as Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRON.
The browser of choice for millions of
people
The Opera browser for Android is a leading
challenger browser, and is the choice for millions of people
worldwide who prefer Opera over the more simple default browsers.
In the last half of 2019, the browser increased its monthly active
user base by forty percent globally year-over-year. The Opera
browser for Android has also registered more than three million
reviews in Google Play with people giving it an average 4.6 star
rating.
In countries like Germany, the Opera browser for
Android was recently ranked as the number one application in the
social and communications apps category, according to the State of
Mobile 2020 report presented by AppAnnie. This means that mobile
users in Germany chose the Opera browser for Android even over the
popular social app Beer with Me.
“The internet is constantly evolving, and
browsers need to keep innovating to stay in the very front of these
changes. With Opera, you feel this at every step. Our Android
browser is packed with ultramodern features that let you, for
example, instantly switch on the built-in VPN, access the crypto
wallet in our browser and block ads per website without any
extensions,” said Peter Wallman, SVP of Browsers at Opera.
Available for download
The Opera browser for Android is available for
download in Google Play.
About Opera
Opera is a leading global internet brand with an
engaged and growing base of over 350 million average monthly active
users. Building on over 20 years of innovation, starting with our
browser products, we are increasingly leveraging our brand as well
as our massive and highly active user base in order to expand our
offerings and our business. Today, we offer users across Europe,
Africa and Asia a wide range of products and services that include
our PC and mobile browsers as well as our AI-powered news reader,
Opera News and our app-based microfinance solutions. Opera’s
products are available for download from opera.com/download and
mobile app stores
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/20d5e7a4-52f6-4bbf-9cd4-7445fbd579b6
Julia Szyndzielorz, Senior PR Manager
Email: julia.szyndzielorz@opera.com
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