Opera, the Norway-based browser maker, has introduced Opera Air – a browser designed with mindfulness and mental well-being in mind. It comes packed with features like break reminders, breathing exercises, and a selection of relaxing soundscapes to help users stay focused and unwind.
Users can choose from four break modes: breathing exercises, neck stretches, meditation, and a "full body scan." While breathing exercises and meditation aim to reduce stress, neck exercises help relieve muscle tension. The full body scan is a guided meditation that encourages users to focus on different parts of the body and the sensations they feel.
Breaks can last anywhere from three to 15 minutes and can be taken on demand or set on a timer. For now, Opera Air's guided exercises are only available in English, but the company is working on adding voiceovers in more languages.
The web is beautiful but it can be chaotic and overwhelming. We decided to look at science-backed ways to help our users navigate it in a way that makes them feel and function better.
– Mohamed Salah, Opera's senior director of product, February 2024
Opera has gone for a fresh, lightweight design with a semi-transparent theme. In the floating sidebar, you'll find a break reminder tool along with the new Boosts feature, which mixes music, ambient sounds, and binaural beats to help improve focus. The sidebar also includes shortcuts to Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as quick access to Opera's ChatGPT-powered Aria AI assistant, for which iPhones recently got a customizable widget.
Video credit – Opera
The "Take a Break" feature works like a battery meter, showing three bars that slowly fade to grey if you are using the browser for too long. You can set your own time limit for continuous use, and when that's up, the indicator drops to let you know it's time to take a break. Of course, if you don't want this reminder, you can turn it off completely.
Opera Air will tell you when you need a break. | Image credit – Opera
Opera Air adds to the growing lineup of Opera browsers, joining the classic Opera and the gaming-oriented Opera GX. Like its siblings, it comes with a built-in ad blocker and free VPN. You can download Air now for free on Mac or Windows, and fingers crossed for a mobile version in the near future.
This minimalist browser really serves as a reminder that sometimes we need to step back from the online world, even if we're still connected. I've given it a quick try, and I think it definitely offers a refreshingly distraction-free experience.
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Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
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