Vivaldi is a new, simple and easy-to-use browser. It's not complicated and can't be customized to a great extent, but do you really need all that to browse your favorite websites at maximum speed?
A new take on the classic
Vivaldi is a web browser that you can use with ease if you are already familiar with classic web browsers, like
Its basic view has a search bar, tabs and a main screen. When you write something in the address bar, you will automatically be directed to Google, although you can change this to your favorite search engine by going to options.
Like with other browsers, Vivaldi relies on Speed Dial, a panel that appears when you open a new tab, which lets you select from your favorite websites.
Vivaldi's strongest asset is undoubtedly its sidebar, a menu that looks a bit like Opera (this is no coincidence, since its former CEO created Vivaldi) although it does have very interesting additional functions. As well as your classic Favorites and Downloads, you have Contacts, Notes and Email.
Notes are very useful when you want to jot something down and have it to hand if you're going to need it during your browsing session. This means you don't have to open another application which would only take up memory and space in your task bar.
Contacts allow you to create a list of contacts within your browser. This option doesn't make much sense if we take into account the fact that we are already inundated with diaries (Gmail, Outlook, Whatsapp...) but this will take on greater significance when you activate the other option from this menu in Vivaldi: Email.
Essentially, the aim is for Vivaldi to become your next email provider, and the application already has capacity reserved for this purpose. We are waiting to try this out in upcoming updates.
In terms of configuration options, Vivaldi has simplified menus. Like the rest of the application, everything is very simple, including privacy settings: you can delete cookies or saved passwords in one fell swoop. Having said that, the option for private browsing is currently not available, but I imagine that it will be in future versions of the application.
Intuitive, simple and attractive
As you can see, things are exactly where you expect them to be with Vivaldi, and everything is to hand.
Even when a lot of tabs are open, browsing is very quick, and you don't have to wait long to for it to recognize the page you want to visit.
This speed could be down to the lack of additional options, like plug-ins and add-ons. Although these functions are very useful for browsers these days, they can also be a hindrance if what you're after is fast browsing.
In terms of its appearance, Vivaldi follows the current style of plain, simple and understated designs when it comes to aesthetics. Forget accessory bars or additional buttons, you only have exactly what you need.
Now, despite its lightweight design, Vivaldi does have an interesting option: the active tab as well as the search bar turn the same color as the main color on the active page. This is a purely decorative (and optional) choice but may be of interest to people who miss being able to customize skins within this browser.
A basic browser
Vivaldi was only recently created. Therefore, it makes sense that it only has the most basic options, doing without more advanced features like the installation of accessories. I think more options will be added in the future to make the browsing experience as complete as possible.
In any case, if Vivaldi decides to only stick with basic requirements, it could become many users' preferred browser. It is no surprise that many people just need browsers for visiting their top sites. For these people, Vivaldi is a very sound choice.
Download Vivaldi (Technical Preview 3) 1.0.344.37 in