Opera Coast 4.10
But in the case of Opera Coast, new equals cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, revolutionary. Something that hadn’t been done before. It comes with its perks and kinks, but not everyone is targeted by this tool, that much is clear.
AUI that works like your brain
Getting to know Coast doesn’t impose a steep learning curve. Because it’s almost fully gesture based, many of the actions you take in iOS on a regular basis are replicated inside the browser.
Because of this the interface isn’t cluttered with any buttons. You just swipe downwards to bring up a text bar where you can either perform a simple web search or punch in a URL. Coast will know what you want and even offer relevant suggestions as you type, complete with previews of the sites.You can also swipe left and right between different pages that you’ve launched. Swiping up from this view will send close the tabs completely.
The tabs are neatly arranged side by side as whole windows, and the various “home” screens of Cost will hold your favorite places. The browser comes pre-loaded with some relevant suggestions to get you started.
Everything is polished to the pixel, and the animations for various dragging and pulling actions are simply sublime. Visually speaking, the thing is a work of art.
The app has gotten better at remembering what sites you visit most often and syncing that data, including information from the last pages you visited. The app has also gotten better at displaying web pages in landscape mode and has also stopped displaying security warnings on sites that are actually perfectly fine to browse.
It’s also possible to share content instantly. The app supports Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, Line, KakaoTalk, VKontakte & Odnoklassniki under the form of a nice card.
Doesn't need to know you, to know what you need
Coast starts with suggestions from Opera Software, and these people seem to know what they’re doing over there in Norway. Every suggestion is tailored to fit the needs of every type of user, with the ability to quickly do away with the speed dials that you won’t be using.
If you happen upon something you like, all you need to do is return to the speed dial view and then drag the currently-visited site into the stack in the middle.
There are absolutely no settings to tweak, which is simply brilliant! Coast is designed in such a way that it will never require tweaking. It’s also very security-centric. Simply go into tab view and pull down on a page. Coast will instantly give you a reading of how secure that site is based on data supplied by WOT (Web of Trust). Opera says our site’s reputation is stellar, and we can’t argue.
Opera’s Coast web browser has rolled out some changes to the platform. The app comes with Opera Turbo to speed up Internet browsing when you’re on slow networks and to compress pages to use less data.
In tab mode, each page gains a handy arrow button at the top right-hand side. Tap it and you’ll get options to print and share that page in various ways.
Don’t mistake Coast for Opera Mini. They’re very different animals, and Coast has been specifically designed for those who appreciate a clean interface. Being able to remember the gestures may be hard on some people, but for those who don’t have a problem with this type of interaction with their applications, Coast is the perfect web surfing tool.
The iPad build is basically just a bigger version of Coast with some elements appearing farther apart from one another, while others are redesigned to match the bigger screen. All in all it’s the same great experience on a bigger scale.
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0/5
Hits & Misses
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Bottom Line
Design / UI10
You have to try really hard to give Coast a low UI score. The level of attention that went into creating this interface goes beyond anything we’ve seen in other browsers |
Function9
Entirely gesture-based, Coast is hands down the most intuitive web browsing tool we’ve come across. Those who prefer traditional (desktop-like) browsing may not like it. |
Security7
The ability to get an instant reading of a site’s reputation is an amazing feature, though we’d prefer if Opera relied on its own figures. Also, no incognito mode. |
Battery9
Unlike other browsers, Coast is highly optimized for all iOS and will not drain your battery more than normal. |
Price10
Opera could easily charge money for such original design, yet the tool is completely free to download and use indefinitely. No ads, no IAPs. |
Compatibility9
Supports iOS 7. iPad version is native |
Opera's finest work, available on both iPhone and iPad
Specifications
- price:
- 100% Free
- current version:
- 4.10
- reviewed version:
- 4.01
- developer:
- Opera Software ASA
- category:
- INTERNET & NETWORK
- os version req.:
- 7.0
- age rating:
- 17+
- in-app purchases:
- No
- hits:
- 2322