Opera has announced it is bringing its iPad-only mobile browser Coast to the iPhone. The Opera Coast is a bit different from Google Chrome or Apple’s Safari, but it bears Opera’s signature streamlined browsing. In this case, Cost organizes shortcuts to sites as if they are apps. It actually appears like the device’s home screen, except that its icons lead to specific websites.
The Opera Coast is so barebones, it does not even have an address bar or a back button. The browser comes preloaded with shortcuts from popular sites such as Gmail and YouTube. If you want to add more websites, simply swipe down from the top of the home screen and it launches a blank page where you can input a topic instead of specific URLs. As you type, the browser suggests sites you might want to visit using colorful icon tiles. You can also perform the old-school search function if you prefer it that way.
Tap the site’s icon to launch it. If you like to bookmark the site, just press and hold the icon to pin it on Coast’s menu page. All icons are synced to your iCloud, so you have the same bookmarks on your iPad’s Coast.
While the browsing experience can be a bit limited, Opera Coast has its share of tricks. Press and hold launched pages to share the the article with your friends or take a screen shot. You can also save a photo, then use it as a background image. Closing a page requires swiping it to the top of the screen, just like how iOS apps can be closed.
Opera Coast is available for free on the App Store.
Source: Engadget
