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Opera unveils new 'Ice' mobile web browser for iOS and Android

post #1 of 78
1/18/13 at 4:42pm
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Opera Software on Friday unveiled its latest project, a WebKit-based mobile browser called "Opera Ice" that is specifically designed for screen formats seen on popular smartphones and tablets, including the iPhone and iPad.

Opera


In an internal video released on Friday (via Pocket-lint), Opera gave a brief look at a beta of the new app, which features an icon-based interface much like the optional homescreens seen on desktop versions of Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome browsers.

According to the developers, the app was designed to hide the usual clutter seen with modern web browsers, including the ubiquitous URL bar, that takes up limited screen real estate on mobile devices. The so-called "full touch browser" does away with buttons and menus to create a spartan user interface driven by screen taps and gestures.

Instead of the Presto rendering engine that Opera has used for years, Ice is based on WebKit, the same engine used by both Apple and Google. The move is meant to keep Opera in the fast-changing mobile market.

"We need to focus on getting strong products out on iOS and Android," said Opera CEO Lars Boilesen.



As for the company's current mobile solution, Opera mini, Boilesen said that it won't be replaced by Ice. Instead, the platform will be leveraged to generate users that will eventually be migrated over to new mobile apps. Opera Ice is expected to debut sometime in February, while a new unannounced desktop browser is slated for a March release.
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post #2 of 78
1/18/13 at 5:28pm
I like Opera, i really do. But Safari (mac and iOS) is by far the fastest (and better looking) browser we can use.
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post #3 of 78
1/18/13 at 5:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

I like Opera, i really do. But Safari (mac and iOS) is by far the fastest (and better looking) browser we can use.

I like all the ideas they've brought forth to the browser market but there is no way I'd replace Safari on any platform with Opera.

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post #4 of 78
1/18/13 at 6:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

I like Opera, i really do. But Safari (mac and iOS) is by far the fastest (and better looking) browser we can use.
Yup
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

I like all the ideas they've brought forth to the browser market but there is no way I'd replace Safari on any platform with Opera.
Yup
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post #5 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:03pm
I use Opera on Windows, and I use it on OS X mainly because of the synchronization feature. If Apple still had Safari around on Windows (with iCloud support), I might use that.

I don't use it on iOS, though, because it's that compression technology and just doesn't work that well with most sites. I do like its interface, though, and will happily try out Ice. I'm using Chrome right now, but Opera's speed dial feature is so much better...
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post #6 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinder6 View Post

I use Opera on Windows, and I use it on OS X mainly because of the synchronization feature. If Apple still had Safari around on Windows (with iCloud support), I might use that.

I don't use it on iOS, though, because it's that compression technology and just doesn't work that well with most sites. I do like its interface, though, and will happily try out Ice. I'm using Chrome right now, but Opera's speed dial feature is so much better...

I wish Apple still made Safari for Windows. That was my go to browser on my parent's PC.
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post #7 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:18pm
Originally Posted by blackbook View Post
I wish Apple still made Safari for Windows. That was my go to browser on my parent's PC.

 

I will never understand that. They could have at least put out one last hurrah with a 6.0 and left it at that. Yeah, "Webkit has exposure now", but I'll use Safari 5 in Windows before I ever use anything else at any point in the future.

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post #8 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:19pm
I love all OS's, and I guess (according to the previous posts) one can only appreciate browsers such as Firefox and Opera when using cross platforms such as Linux and Windoze... I personally hate Safari. It lacks things I need and rely on daily. Not to mention, much slower in comparison to the others. I'm a long time FF user, and it does everything and more than Safari. Opera is good, but it's not as robust as FF. But Competition is good, so I encourage Opera to keep on.
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post #9 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:23pm

Really!?!? IMHO Safari and iTunes is the biggest hunk of junk on Windows.  iTunes still sucks on OS X.  One of Apples biggest headaches.
 

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post #10 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:44pm

I can never escape the feeling that there is something terribly terribly wrong with people who like and use Opera.  

 

Everything about their products seems different from others, but never for a good reason.  

One always gets the impression that they are chasing difference for different's sake alone. 

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post #11 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colper View Post

Really!?!? IMHO Safari and iTunes is the biggest hunk of junk on Windows.  iTunes still sucks on OS X.  One of Apples biggest headaches.
 

 

I wouldn't say iTunes interface "sucks."  With iTunes 11 they have clearly moved from "sucks" to "half-assed."  

 

They are only a couple of iterations away from "not awful" now.  1smile.gif

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post #12 of 78
1/18/13 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post

I wouldn't say iTunes interface "sucks."  With iTunes 11 they have clearly moved from "sucks" to "half-assed."  

They are only a couple of iterations away from "not awful" now.  1smile.gif

I'm quite a fan of the new iTunes 11 UI. I used to keep only my music, apps, Podcasts, and iTunesU content in iTunes with all my movies and TV shows in the ~/Movies folder for manually access. Since iTunes 11 arrived I have used iVI to convert every single file in that folder to an iTunes acceptable format with the proper metadata for access via iTunes.


iVI has a few quirks that are annoying but it's the best option available at any price and at under $10 it's a steal. One lovely feature I don't see with other programs is its ability to take an H.264 encoded MKV file and strip the MKV container for an M4V container with all the proper metadata without any re-encoding. Most programs just aren't smart enough to do a container swap.

Ironically, because I now have an Apple TV v3 that has an all or nothing feature (or bug) for sharing a library I have removed all the music from my iTunes library. I have iTunes Match, which I have a lot of negative feeling toward as it's mucked up my playlists on my iPhone, but for right now it's working fine and that's how I am keeping my music library intact.

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post #13 of 78
1/18/13 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post

I wouldn't say iTunes interface "sucks."  With iTunes 11 they have clearly moved from "sucks" to "half-assed."  

They are only a couple of iterations away from "not awful" now.  1smile.gif
iTunes 11 is a breath of fresh air conpared to every other version before it.

I'm just glad Apple had the balls to overhaul it.

Gives me hope they'll do something similar to iOS.

Of course the biggest worry is they'll have a Final Cut X blunder again but I'm hoping for the best from them.
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post #14 of 78
1/18/13 at 8:42pm
I can never escape the feeling that gazoobee simply can't comment on the actual story.
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post #15 of 78
1/18/13 at 9:39pm
Safari all the way for me.
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post #16 of 78
1/18/13 at 10:22pm
Safari and iTunes integrate well in OS X, but in Windows sucks. I have Windows Server 2012 and i installed iTunes for Windows and it feel out of place. Quicktime specially in Windows still in version 7 and the UI is still from Windows 2000. They have not update Quicktime UI in Windows for more than 12 years. iTunes in Windows install extra crap that most Windows users will never touch. I am an Apple fan and user as well, i have an iPhone, ibook and a powermac. I am in the future thinking to buy a new Apple laptop.
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post #17 of 78
1/18/13 at 11:50pm
I like Opera's features. Unfortunately they don't work well all of the time. I use Firefox because it syncs between OS X, Ubuntu, and Windows. I like Dropbox for the same reason. Safari is fast but lacks features compared to others.

The Opera browser ALWAYS messes up videos and it renders pages in different, unpleasant ways. It's turbo feature doesn't work well for me. Some people on forums love Opera. To me it's just buggy. I hope they get the mobile version right. Then they can move on to making the desktop versions work on all platforms. If they did that I'd consider switching to it.
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post #18 of 78
1/19/13 at 12:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


I'm quite a fan of the new iTunes 11 UI. I used to keep only my music, apps, Podcasts, and iTunesU content in iTunes with all my movies and TV shows in the ~/Movies folder for manually access. Since iTunes 11 arrived I have used iVI to convert every single file in that folder to an iTunes acceptable format with the proper metadata for access via iTunes.


iVI has a few quirks that are annoying but it's the best option available at any price and at under $10 it's a steal. One lovely feature I don't see with other programs is its ability to take an H.264 encoded MKV file and strip the MKV container for an M4V container with all the proper metadata without any re-encoding. Most programs just aren't smart enough to do a container swap..

That certainly looks like Today's Top Tip!

I, too, have all my movies, concerts et cetera in a folder and not in iTunes because of the vast amount of different formats. I presume a container swap works in a jiffy? Not that my Mac can't do massive amounts of re-encoding, but I prefer to leave the source alone. I'll take a peek it this software, thanks.
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post #19 of 78
1/19/13 at 12:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post

I can never escape the feeling that there is something terribly terribly wrong with people who like and use Opera.  

 

Everything about their products seems different from others, but never for a good reason.  

One always gets the impression that they are chasing difference for different's sake alone. 


That's a rather silly attitude, frankly.  First, different for the sake of being different isn't inherently a bad thing.  If you're willing to try new things, you might stumble upon the next big thing.  Second, it doesn't matter--Opera on the desktop works the same as other browsers.  There are a couple of UI changes I would make, but overall I quite like it.  I use OS X and Windows, so I need a cross-platform that syncs between browsers.  On my machines, it's faster at rendering pages and more stable than Firefox, and has a quicker UI than Chrome.  As a bonus, I trust the Opera folks more than I do Google, as they have much less of my data to begin with.

 

But what I really like is tab stacking.  It's turned out invaluable for research papers I've written.

 

Anyway, after actually watching the Ice video, I'm more on the fence than I'd expected.  It certainly looks fancy and incorporates that neato search feature from that Yahoo browser, but I worry the new tab implementation might be a step backwards, and I don't see a way to simply access an address bar.  I'm still looking forward to it, though.

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post #20 of 78
1/19/13 at 1:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maclancer View Post

I am in the future thinking to buy a new Apple laptop.

 

And the cynic in me has that statement nailed down as the number 1 reason why the windows versions will never be as good as the mac versions....

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post #21 of 78
1/19/13 at 2:26am

Well, I use Safari 99% of the time I'm browsing.

 

The "problem" is, FLASH. Remember flash? I hate all things adobe (much more than google) so i refuse to go to their site and download that poor coded resource hog pile of trash (like all things adobe). However sometimes I need flash, especially for cycling feeds during the year, youtube videos, you know the drill.

 

There's only one browser with flash built-in, and I must have it installed. There's no problem with that, Chrome is a good browser, right? Very fast, clean interface. The thing is... I can't stop using safari. It's so much faster and pleasant to use: faster scrolling, amazing and faster gestures, amazing sharing options and great looks! I thought Chrome was the way to go, especially because of Windows bootcamp. Guess what? I can't stand Windows anymore, I can't stand using another trackpad (Windows PCs)... So I don't need to "sync".

 

But I still need Chrome. Do I have alternative? I know I could use Safari+click to flash, but i just enjoy keeping Safari "pure", it's so fast! (I used IE since 2000 to 2011, maybe this explains why I love Safari so much. :) )

 

Everyone I know either uses 100% Safari with flash, or Chrome or Firefox. I fail to see a market for Opera. I fail to see what is their point, their goal... Why not ally with a better browser and make it even better?

 

http://lifehacker.com/5948212/browser-speed-tests-mac-edition-chrome-22-firefox-15-safari-6-and-opera-1202


Edited by pedromartins - 1/19/13 at 3:09am
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post #22 of 78
1/19/13 at 3:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

Well, I use Safari 99% of the time I'm browsing.

The "problem" is, FLASH. Remember flash? I hate all things adobe (much more than google) so i refuse to go to their site and download that poor coded resource hog pile of trash (like all things adobe). However sometimes I need flash, especially for cycling feeds during the year, youtube videos, you know the drill.

There's only one browser with flash built-in, and I must have it installed. There's no problem with that, Chrome is a good browser, right? Very fast, clean interface. The thing is... I can't stop using safari. It's so much faster and pleasant to use: faster scrolling, amazing and faster gestures, amazing sharing options and great looks! I thought Chrome was the way to go, especially because of Windows bootcamp. Guess what? I can't stand Windows anymore, I can't stand using another trackpad (Windows PCs)... So I don't need to "sync".

But I still need Chrome. Do I have alternative? I know I could use Safari+click to flash, but i just enjoy keeping Safari "pure", it's so fast! (I used IE since 2000 to 2011, maybe this explains why I love Safari so much. 1smile.gif )

Everyone I know either uses 100% Safari with flash, or Chrome or Firefox. I fail to see a market for Opera. I fail to see what is their point, their goal... Why not ally with a better browser and make it even better?

http://lifehacker.com/5948212/browser-speed-tests-mac-edition-chrome-22-firefox-15-safari-6-and-opera-1202

Why do you need flash for YouTube?
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post #23 of 78
1/19/13 at 3:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


Why do you need flash for YouTube?

Not all videos, but the majority isn't html5.

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post #24 of 78
1/19/13 at 4:13am
The only feature I find missing from Safari on iOS is fullscreen mode on the iPad (whereas it is automatically enabled on the iPhone.) Don't understand why Apple insists we stare at that distracting URL bar all the time. Love the full screen mode and other nifty features in Atomic Web Browser; unfortunately that app just gets more and more buggy with each release. 1frown.gif Anyway, it appears that Opera's new Ice browser will not be using compression like their mini web browser, I'd be glad to try it out. Just hope we can easily delete unwanted web apps from the home screen.
Edited by andyapple - 1/19/13 at 4:21am
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post #25 of 78
1/19/13 at 7:34am
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post
Not all videos, but the majority isn't html5.

 

Forget that: There's an MP4 file of every video there. You don't even need to have the HTML5 option turned on: with Click2Flash it will push out a straight up QuickTime window and load it in there.

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post #26 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

 

Forget that: There's an MP4 file of every video there. You don't even need to have the HTML5 option turned on: with Click2Flash it will push out a straight up QuickTime window and load it in there.

Are you serious? But what do I do with cycling feeds, for example? Can I play them with Quicktime too?

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post #27 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

I presume a container swap works in a jiffy? Not that my Mac can't do massive amounts of re-encoding, but I prefer to leave the source alone. I'll take a peek it this software, thanks.

As an example a 1.5GB 1080p video that is encoded with H.264 for video and AAC for audio and put in an Matroska (MKV) container will take under 10 minutes to finish on my 2010 13" MBP with a 2.4GHz C2D CPU. The buik is used to export and re-import the audio and video which I'm assuming has to be done bit-by-bit instead of simply removing some preamble and CRC like with an Ethernet frame. In any case, the source video and audio remain intact with no additional encoding and I've never noticed the audio and video not synced up properly. Chapters are also maintained through this process.

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post #28 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

Not all videos, but the majority isn't html5.

What do you mean by the majority isn't HTML5? The majority of the videos appear to be H.264 and it seems like every major site allows for those H.264 videos to be videoed from HTML5 due to how prolific mobile devices are.

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post #29 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:39am
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post
What do you mean by the majority isn't HTML5? The majority of the videos appear to be H.264 and it seems like every major site allows for those H.264 videos to be videoed from HTML5 due to how prolific mobile devices are.

 

Not disagreeing, but didn't Google say they were going to stop converting YouTube videos into MP4/H.264 entirely in favor of WebM? That doesn't seem to have happened.

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post #30 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


What do you mean by the majority isn't HTML5? The majority of the videos appear to be H.264 and it seems like every major site allows for those H.264 videos to be videoed from HTML5 due to how prolific mobile devices are.

But how do i do that on my mac without extensions?

 

I'm now trying click2flash, but the option to play on quicktime appears for juts one second, then it says that i don't have flash and the option for quicktime is erased. 

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post #31 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

But how do i do that on my mac without extensions?

I'm now trying click2flash, but the option to play on quicktime appears for juts one second, then it says that i don't have flash and the option for quicktime is erased. 

I don't know what you are talking about. Are you trying to host your own videos and only know how to use FLV as a container for your H.264/AAC content?

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post #32 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


I don't know what you are talking about. Are you trying to host your own videos and only know how to use FLV as a container for your H.264/AAC content?

:)

 

I'm trying to go to youtube and watch all videos on quicktime, without flash installed, especially without extensions.

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post #33 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:54am
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post
But how do i do that on my mac without extensions?

 

I guess hit "Join" here. 

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post #34 of 78
1/19/13 at 8:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

1smile.gif

I'm trying to go to youtube and watch all videos on quicktime, without flash installed, especially without extensions.

Why in QuickTime and not in the browser? Are you using a browser that doesn't support the HTML5 video tags or the H.264 codec?

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post #35 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


Why in QuickTime and not in the browser? Are you using a browser that doesn't support the HTML5 video tags or the H.264 codec?

Ok, on safari then. How to I play youtube videos on safari without extensions? Can you help me?

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post #36 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:03am
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post
Why in QuickTime and not in the browser? Are you using a browser that doesn't support the HTML5 video tags or the H.264 codec?

 

He means in QuickTime, like I mentioned, as in an embedded QuickTime-style box, like when you use Click2Flash (or similar to what you see on the Apple trailers site).

 

I really don't see the issue with having Click2Flash in Safari. If anything, it'll make Safari run FASTER, since no Flash elements are loading without express permission. And it gives him exactly what he wants from YouTube.

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post #37 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:10am
What the heck is celtra.com and why did they show up when I tried to post here a few minutes ago?
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post #38 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

Ok, on safari then. How to I play youtube videos on safari without extensions? Can you help me?

TS already sent you the link for enabling HTML5 from YT. That's without any extensions.

I am curious why you are against any Safari extensions. If you have Flash installed you are clearly fine with plug-ins but you aren't with extensions? I don't get that.

Here is what Safari v6.0.2 with the Click2Flash v2.7.2 extension installed and active looks like on ML v10.8.2.

As you can see you have the Safari native controls for a video embedded within the HTML5 video tags. I have right-clicked on the window to show you additional options. As you can see the Click2Flash extension allows for for the easy download of the file.


Edited by SolipsismX - 1/19/13 at 9:22am

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post #39 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post
Why in QuickTime and not in the browser? Are you using a browser that doesn't support the HTML5 video tags or the H.264 codec?

 

He means in QuickTime, like I mentioned, as in an embedded QuickTime-style box, like when you use Click2Flash (or similar to what you see on the Apple trailers site).

 

I really don't see the issue with having Click2Flash in Safari. If anything, it'll make Safari run FASTER, since no Flash elements are loading without express permission. And it gives him exactly what he wants from YouTube.

 

I think the question is just how do you get Youtube videos to work in Safari at all. Do you have to install an extension of some kind, and why does it not work just using HTML5?

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post #40 of 78
1/19/13 at 9:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by muppetry View Post

I think the question is just how do you get Youtube videos to work in Safari at all. Do you have to install an extension of some kind, and why does it not work just using HTML5?

I'm still lost. YT has a switch you can enable so it will bypass Flash on any browser, including Chrome. I've never had YT video problems in YT. It's the only place that videos have always worked well.

I don't have Flash installed on my Mac. It's part of Chrome and I have Chrome as a backup but my Safari browser has no Flash plug-in installed. Well, until today so I just rant these tests, but it'll be removed shortly.

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