Vivaldi 2.0 is out

Vivaldi is a web browser built for - and with - the web. A browser that is fast, but also a browser that is rich in functionality, highly flexible and puts the user first.

Razvan Serea News Reporter Neowin · Sep 26, 2018 18:46 EDT with 14 comments

Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a cross-platform web browser built for – and with – the web. A browser based on the Blink engine (same in Chrome and Chromium) that is fast, but also a browser that is rich in functionality, highly flexible and puts the user first. A browser that is made for you. Vivaldi is produced with love by a founding team of browser pioneers, including former CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, who co-founded and led Opera Software. Vivaldi’s interface is very customizable. Vivaldi combines simplicity and fashion to create a basic, highly customizable interface that provides everything a internet user could need. The browser allows users to customize the appearance of UI elements such as background color, overall theme, address bar and tab positioning, and start pages. Vivaldi features the ability to "stack" and "tile" tabs, annotate web pages, add notes to bookmarks and much more.

What's new in Vivaldi 2.0:

A fresh look - a smoother onboarding experience, refreshed theme options and a host of new background image options.

Vivaldi

The strength of Vivaldi is in its features and customizability. This is reflected in the Settings, where you can not only change the browser’s look but the layout of its elements, such as:

Position the tab bar vertically and display the address bar at the bottom (or not at all).
Adjust default zoom levels and view clutter-free web pages using Reader View.
Toggle adaptive Themes that change color in tune with the website being viewed.
Schedule Themes to change throughout the day.
Customize Speed Dials, Start Page backgrounds and Window Background Images.

Vivaldi Sync

You can now access your data across computers seamlessly and securely using your Vivaldi account. You can choose which data to sync, including your Bookmarks and Speed Dials, saved passwords and autofill information, History (with only typed Urls), extensions and, uniquely, Notes.
All synced data, including your passwords, is protected using end-to-end encryption and never shared in the clear with Vivaldi or any third-party servers.
Activate Vivaldi Sync in Settings or by clicking on the cloud icon in the browser’s Status Bar.

Powerful Tab Management

There are multiple ways you can manage and access your tabs, many of which are unique to Vivaldi — including grouping them into Tab Stacks, searching for an open tab using Quick Commands and renaming your Tab Stacks . Of course, you can also pin, drag, hibernate and mute tabs as needed, but we’ve added even more options in the latest version.

Here are some exciting additions:

Resizable Tab Tiling: Tab Tiling fans, this one’s for you. Viewing tabs in a split-screen just got better. When viewing tabs in a tiled view, adjust the size by simply dragging a tile’s border (a popular user-request!). What’s more, the adjusted layout remains the same after restarts and loading of saved sessions. Very handy while browsing several sites plus it gives you screen estate, a lot more.

A new way to find open tabs: Added a list-style view to the ever-popular Tab Cycler. Viewing and finding a list of tabs, and even changing their order will definitely save you some scrolling time. Enable the Tab Cycler under Settings → Tabs→ Tab Features→ Tab Cycling and select “Display Tab Cycler as list” to give it a try.

Smarter browsing

An expandable dashboard (the Panel) gives you easy access to your go-to tools such as Bookmarks, Downloads, Notes, History, Window Panel and Web Panels. This area of the interface allows for easy multi-tasking or keeping the right tools at hand.

Web Panels are a great way to browse your favorite sites alongside your main window, saving you from the fuss of switching back-and-forth between tabs. They can be rearranged, have custom widths and even be accessed individually via custom Keyboard Shortcuts or Mouse Gestures of your choosing.

It’s no surprise that Web Panels have been a fan favorite since they appeared in the first version of Vivaldi. And with the latest upgrade, checking your messaging apps, social feeds and news sites is a breeze with these new additions:

Floating Web Panels: Need more room for your work? All it takes is to float the Web Panels over the page smoothly, rather than resizing the main window. Floating Web Panels can be activated through Tools → Settings → Panel → Panel Options. In addition, you can enable “Auto-close Floating panel”. With this switched on, the panel will close itself as you move your mouse away from the panel area.
Web Panel Suggestions: Clicking the “+” to add a new Web Panel now gives you suggestions based on the sites that you visit the most. We hope this gets people exploring and thinking about how Web Panels can improve their browser experience.

Raise your productivity bar

Using Vivaldi’s Panels aren’t the only way to improve your productivity in the browser. A number of built-in tools let you rely less on extensions and focus on the job at hand.

Notes let you annotate websites or jot down ideas while you browse.
Capture allows you to take screenshots of full web pages or a selection of the screen.
Image Properties takes you on a dive deep into photos you find online, revealing image metadata.
History gives an overview of your browsing habits and makes it easier to find previously visited sites.

Effortless navigation

Your browser’s job is to get you where you want to go. But getting there faster isn’t always about your connection speed – it’s also about how you control your browser. Vivaldi includes a number of choices in how you interact with the browser:

Keyboard Shortcuts can be customized to get work done at a lightning speed.
Mouse Gestures let you do almost anything in the browser with the flick of a wrist.
Your favorite sites and bookmarks are easily accessible from the new tab page with Speed Dials.
Assign nicknames to select your search engine of choice on the fly.
Jump through search result pages with Fast-Forward/Rewind.
Use Quick Commands to find an open tab, search the web or your history, and even issue a command.

Privacy is paramount

Vivaldi has always honored its users’ rights to data privacy and protection. There is no need to collect your personal information. Vivaldi doesn't track you. Period. Vivaldi users are encouraged to explore privacy-conscious options and educate themselves on the basics of web browser security. This year Vivaldi integrated DuckDuckGo as default Private Search, and added Qwant to the list of suggested search engines (which includes StartPage as well). All of these are great tools for taking back your privacy.