Check out this descriptor…
What’s New in Version 4.00
Four (4) is an important number. It represents the seasons, the elements, and the amount of members in the Beatles.
Zero (0) is the amount of pies we have.So, 4.0 is a pretty big update.
If that isn’t a teaser that makes you curious as to what it is, I don’t know what is!
It’s part of the announcement of the update to the Opera Coast browser for the iPad.
In a world where all of the browsers on the iPad want to be just versions of the desktop program ported over, Coast is something completely different. I first discovered Opera Coast over a year ago. I actually blogged about it at the time and was a little tentative with the title. “Investigating Opera Coast“.
When I think back on it, I didn’t like it at first. I wanted a browser for my tablet that indeed worked like the desktop version.
Opera was anything but a desktop browser just running on the tablet. The navigation was completely different. I liked the swiping to navigate and the search facility right off the bat. No URL – the screen is just all website. It took a little while but it’s now become my default browser. At edCampSWO in Tilbury, I was talking to a colleague and I noticed that he was using it as default as well.
I alternate between Opera and Firefox on the desktop. One of the reasons why I stick with Opera is its discover feature. There’s always something new and interesting to read. With this update to Opera Coast, it has a discover feature as well.
I think that part of what challenged me at first with Coast was the lack of menus and options.
But, as I started to use it, I realized that on my tablet they were basically eye candy. I didn’t use them. There is a configuration available for Coast but you’ll notice that there are very few options. Of course clearing your browsing data is important but there’s very little significantly different. Bookmarks appear is a 3×4 or 3×3 grid on the opening page. It really is minimal when it comes to extra features – I find that it just supports browsing so quickly and efficiently.
Opera Turbo is a unique feature to the Opera line of browsers. It’s worth mentioning and consideration. It’s a compression scheme that sends some webpages through Opera servers where they’re compressed and passed along to you. The claim is for a faster browsing experience, using less data. I have it enabled since I do have a slow connection at home. I’m not sure just show much it saves me but even if it’s a bit, it should speed up the process.
Of course, in my world, sharing is important. Opera Coast has sharing built nicely into the new version. Most importantly, I’m impressed with how operation is all based on touch and touch actions. After a while, it just seems like this is how a tablet browser should function.
Opera Coast is a free download from here. I’ve found it to be worth the learning curve. Any other takers out there?
doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.