Almost three years after launching its desktop version, cross-platform browser Vivaldi has finally released its mobile version today. The brainchild of Opera’s co-founder Jon von Tetzchner, published an Android beta version today that brings swipe gesture for navigation, built-in note-taking functionality, and privacy controls including a no-tracking option.
While the browser is in beta, I’ve been using it for a few days, and I haven’t faced any major hiccups. Here are some of the features I enjoyed in the new mobile version:
Easy bookmark management
Vivaldi calls its bookmarks displayed on its home screen ‘speed dials.’ They’re just tiles to access your favorite websites just with a tap. You can also organize these speed dials into folders such as news, technology, and sports. If you already use Vivaldi as your desktop browser, you can sign in and import all your bookmarks easily.
Easy navigation
Vivaldi’s bottom nav bar is the reason why more apps should add functionality to that part of the app. As shown in the picture above, it gives you access to back and forward history buttons, a shortcut to panels (which includes bookmarks, history, notes, and downloads), and a handy tab switcher. However, my favorite feature is the ability to switch between tabs by swiping left or right on the bottom bar. It’s just like switching between apps on the latest iPhones, and it’s quicker than switching tabs on Chrome’s mobile app.
Plenty of option for tab management
Apart from swiping to toggle between tabs and the tab switcher in the bottom nav bar, the new mobile browser has plenty of options for tab management. It lets you clone tabs, and review recently closed tabs too
To share a tab (or a link), just tap on the address bar, and you’ll see options to copy the link, share it, and edit it.