Opera Software today released an important update for its PC web browser and, at the same time, also presented a new smartphone web browser with special features called Opera Touch, which is worth trying immediately. The distinctive features of the Opera Touch browser are basically three: the fact of being optimized for one-handed use, the ability to search the internet from any page and, above all, the function called " Flow ", which allows you to connect Opera on PC with Opera Touch on smartphone, to be able to navigate synchronously from one and the other as if using the same device.
While the latter may remember the function of the synchronized tabs of Chrome, the advantage of the Flow system is that it does not bind to accounts and passwords, but uses an immediate connection by scanning the QR code, which is really convenient and quick.
Opera Touch is therefore a modern and fast browser, which works very well to surf the internet by holding the phone with one hand and which allows you to switch from PC to mobile phone and vice versa as if you used the same device .
Opera Touch can be downloaded for iPhone and Android from the Google Play Store, for Samsung, Huawei, Honor, Nokia, Motorola smartphones and all those with Android 5 and later systems.
After installing it, you will immediately notice the interface very different from most other browsers for Android.
The initial tab, in fact, shows a search bar at the top, which allows you to quickly open the most visited sites and those of the Flow, in a section called "Continue from the computer".
By swiping the titles at the top, above the search bar, you can quickly switch to the Flow function and history.
Below, however, buy a button with three lines that remains visible even when opening other sites and other web pages.
This button is used to open the search form quickly from any site you are visiting and is one of the special features of the Opera browser.
Opera Touch has navigation controls at the bottom of the interface, so as to optimize use with one hand.
Thanks to the central button at the bottom, easy to press with the thumb, you can directly access the recent tabs and the search function.
By keeping the central button pressed, it is possible, without taking your finger off the screen, to switch from one open tab to another, send a site to Flow, reload the current site or close the tab.
Opera Touch also supports voice search to make things easier for those who prefer to use voice in searches and also has a built-in QR code scanner.
The Flow function, the one that connects phone and PC, is certainly the most interesting feature in Opera Touch.
No login or password authentication is required to use the Flow feature and is available in Opera Touch and in today's updated desktop versions of the Opera web browser.
If you already have Opera installed, open the main menu and go to the Info about Opera section to check for new updates.
Precisely Opera Flow can be used from the Opera 52 version for PC.
Then go to the Opera Touch Flow tab on your smartphone to find the button to connect to the computer .
By pressing it, you get the instructions to make the connection and the key to start scanning the QR code.
On the PC, open Opera and press the arrow key located on the left bar, under the search button.
In the tab that opens, press the Connect your phone button to see a large QR code appear.
Take the phone in your hand and scan the QR code with Opera Touch to establish the connection between smartphone and PC.
At this point, when you open a site using Opera on PC, the Flow arrow icon appears at the top of the address bar, which allows you to add that site to the "Flow" list.
The same happens on the mobile phone, where you can press the Flow button for each site that is opened with Opera Touch.
The Flow list is then shared between PC and mobile phone and becomes like a common bulletin board where saved sites are stored using the Flow button.
it therefore becomes very easy to send a site to your PC or mobile phone, creating a list of shared items.
The Flow function is designed as a chat, in which the two interlocutors are smartphones and PCs that can exchange messages.
In fact, in the Flow window it is also possible to send text notes and messages to be kept, using Opera as if it were a shared notebook.
Opera Flow uses end-to-end encryption to share links and messages (and maybe images, videos and other types of content in the future) between the desktop versions of Opera and Opera Touch on mobile devices.
In the Flow options you can delete all shared messages and links and reset existing connections.
Opera, as usual, offers unique features on its browser that make it different from the others (let's remember the Opera VPN on PC) and therefore useful to have installed in any case, even if it is used as a secondary browser.
With Opera Touch, in addition to the one-hand functions you have to get used to, it is really convenient to use Flow to quickly send written notes and links to your mobile phone or PC.
Those who know Opera already know that the Opera and Opera Mini mobile browsers can also be downloaded and installed by the same company.
Opera Touch is therefore added to the collection of Opera browsers offering a fresher and more modern experience.
