Web browsers are so ubiquitous that once you have settled on a choice, your standard often quickly becomes a dull part of your computer’s furniture. At one point in the last 20 years (I honestly can’t tell you when), I switched to Google Chrome and have never bothered to see anywhere else since.
I have tried the strange alternative, including Microsoft’s Edge and Opera, but never with the conviction that one day I can change. I also need Google Chrome to work, so having a separate personal browser has never really felt like an opportunity.
That was until Opera revealed its new Opera Air Browser. It is the world’s first browser built around Mindfulness. In addition to security, security and speed, Opera Air is designed to make you feel better while surfing the web. As a technical author, I can gladly report that the Internet can sometimes be a miserable place to live, so when I saw Opera Air was available in early access, I finally decided it was worth trying to ditch Chrome one last time. I wasn’t disappointed.
After maybe 10 minutes I had seen enough to know that Opera Air definitely remains installed on my PC and that I will ditch Chrome as my personal browser. Here are three of the features that convinced me to jump ship.
Increases
Apart from in short bursts, I really struggle to work in silence, and for years I have been experimenting with using different playlists and background sounds for white noise my internal monologue and helping me to focus. I have tried everything from cyberpunk synthwave music to the Middle Ages Bardcore.
Opera Air puts productivity -focused music at your fingertips right in your browser. These “boost” are attached to the sidebar. There are 19 different boosts to help improve different mental states. Binaural beats (two tones of slightly different frequencies played in each ear, so your brain perceives a third frequency) includes Theta waves for deep meditation and creative inspiration and alpha waves for relaxation. There are also surrounding sounds like rain (this one does not get much playing time in Scotland), forest, sea and even urban sounds like trains or cafés.
There are a myriad of settings and you can fine -tune any aspect, from the timing to the frequency and the sound playing, all controlled by a sneaky, non -intruding mini player, and my early impressions are extremely positive.
Take a break
When it comes to being sedentary on your desk, whether for work or playing, standing or sitting too long can start to have a pretty negative impact on your health. That’s why we recommend the best standing desks and under-desk runnings. And take a break gives you regular reminders of doing exactly that.
Opera Air has a built-in set of mindfulness exercises, including breathing programs, neck exercises, meditation and a full body scan melody. Think of it as the standing reminders of your best Apple Watch, a gentle push every hour or so to recover your body and your mind.
The cripsy interface
When I first installed Google Chrome all these years ago, I was blown up by how simple and clean it was. Now it’s filled with buttons and icons like any other browser. Opera Air is the first browser I’ve seen in years to actually look clean and simple, and has back to the old character of Chrome that Google has lost along the way.
I love the sidebar, which is clean and minimalist. It even hides lots of great settings and fast access tools. I love the glassy look that has shades of Windows Vista, and the calm backgrounds add the feeling of Zen.
Come in early
The best thing about Opera Air is that it is still in early access, so there are many more adjustments, settings and features to come. I can’t recommend it strongly enough if you’re a Windows or Mac user who likes a change of tempo from Google Chrome.
What’s more, you get all Opera’s other great features, including its free built-in VPN, ad blocks, tracker blocks and native browser AI Aria, filled with chat gpt-4o, Gemini 1.4 and image 3 just a click away. Happy attentive crawling!
