Review of Opera Unite: Putting a Web Server In a Browser
Opera Software recently released a Beta version of its new web browser, Opera Unite. The beta version offers some really cool features that are very new to mainstream web browsing. If you are not familiar with the Opera browsers, you may want to give them a look. They have been making a great desktop product since the mid 1990s; Opera is also the most popular HTML browser for your mobile phone.
Like many modern browser, Opera 10 (Unite) offers tabbed browsing, a download manager, add-ons, speed dials (up to 25 favorite sites shown as a thumbnail), bookmarks with tagging; you know all the basics. Of course there are plenty of ways to customize the look, but the layout of the browser window is similar to that of Safari, Firefox and others.
Some of its Great Features
Built-in BitTorrent client
Opera Unite comes with a BitTorrent client that allows searching for and download of torrent files.

Cross-platform syncing
Opera Link enables you to sync bookmarks, speed dials, bookmark bar, notes, etc. with other devices including your phone running. As long as device is running a current version of Opera, Opera mini or Opera mobile; your information is right there and ready for you.

Customized search
The customizable web searching gets you quick access to Google, eBay, Amazon and more with the search field in the upper right corner. Or, for even quicker searching, search directly in the address bar using built-in and customizable keywords. For example, type “e VW Rabbit” in the address bar to search for “VW Rabbits” on eBay.
![]()
Web server within browser
The innovative features Unite is bringing to the table are really going to turn some heads. The idea behind the “services” as they are calling them, is to create a web server within the broswer and make each computer accessible from anywhere on the web, allowing you to retrieve information from it just like you would from a website or server. There will be more services to come, but right now here is what Unite comes with.

- Media Player – Access your local music collection from anywhere on the Internet.
- Web Server – Host a web site from the local computer.
- Photo Sharing – Share photos directly without uploading to a middleman site like Flickr.
- File Sharing – Allows sharing files directly between users; no emailing or torrent sites needed.
- The Lounge – A chat interface hosted on your computer.
- Fridge – Lets other people can put a virtual sticky note on the your refrigerator door like back in the day.
My Experiences Using the New Features
I do have to admit that these features are a really good idea. I think for people who embrace the new browser, the services could take the place of many third party hosting and application sites for smaller scale usage. However, while playing with the services feature, I did run into a few instances where I needed to reset the sharing part of the browser. There was no specific reason, just an unnamed error. I am sure as it gets closer to the final release it will be a lot more stable.
With the growing number of data enabled mobile devices, having all of your information synced is becoming more important by the day. Both the desktop and mobile versions of Opera are very fast browsers to surf the web. Having the ability to sync my bookmarks (which I imported from Firefox), coupled with being able to surf the mobile web via a HTML browser while I’m out is a really great thing in a pinch.
I don’t see myself making a total transition from Firefox just yet. I am going to keep using it part time and keep an eye on what services they roll out in the coming months. I wouldn’t write off Opera, they have been in the background for a long time making a really reliable browser. In the end, all the bells and whistles can make a browser fancy, but speed, usability and reliability are what matters. (Sorry Internet Explorer) Download Unite here and see what you think.
What are your thoughts on the Opera browsers?
Slow computer? Try Auslogics BoostSpeed!
Related posts:
- Is Opera Good Enough For Your Ubuntu Desktop?
- 5 Reasons Why You Should Use VirtualBox Over VMware Server
- Better Manage Your Bookmarks With Tidy Favorites
- Three Easy Ways to Synchronize Your Bookmarks Across Various Browsers
- How To Protect Your Identity Online With A Proxy Server
One thing that I love about Linux (and Ubuntu) is that it is fully customizable and I can configure it to the way that I want it. Previously, I have already illustrated its flexibility by showing how you can transform 



For those who are using Ubuntu Jaunty, you will notice that there is a change in the way the system notifies you to upgrade software. In the past, an icon will appear on the system tray whenever there is new update available. In Ubuntu Jaunty, instead of showing the icon, the update manager will now pop up the window as and when it detects new update. While this is a good way to grab the user attention and get them to upgrade to the latest software version promptly, it can be pretty annoying for many, especially when you are in the midst of your work. To make it worst, if you close it without updating, it will keep on popping up in regular interval until you have upgraded your system.
I’ve been a web-mail kinda guy since a long time ago. I ditched my email clients (Mail, Entourage, and Thunderbird) and prefer to keep my GMail handy on any computer (or sometimes cellphone) that I use, wherever I am. But 







If you work in a collaborative or public computer environment or share your computer with family members and want to keep individual user data separate, it’s handy to know how to lock your screen and keep your work away from prying eyes. While the solution is simple, it’s not immediately clear to the new user how to activate.



Not too long ago I started looking around for an easy way to post to some of the blogs I write for. The first thing that came to mind, since I was already using it to write, was to use the publish option in Google Docs to post. If you use the free hosting sites like Blogger, Wordpress.com or Livejournal to name a few, this will do the trick. This is also a viable option if you post to a site using that uses the Blogger, Metaweblog or Moveable Type API. Where Google falls short is if you need to post to multiple sites.






Everytime after you have reformatted the hard disk and reinstalled the Linux distro of your choice, the one troublesome thing that you need to do is to re-download all your applications and restore all the settings. This is made worst when your wireless connection just don’t work with the newly installed distro. How are you going to download all your applications when you can’t even connect to the Internet?



Like many of you, I use a LOT of different computers. Some at home, some at work, some in between. Many of these computers have more than one operating system installed, and those operating systems may have more than one browser. All this leaves a LOT of places you may have saved your bookmarks. What’s saved on one might not be saved on another, or perhaps you reformatted your OS and forgot to backup your favorite websites. Fortunately, there are a multitude of ways to solve this problem, and today we’ll be covering some of them. Each of the programs/toolbars/extensions we’ll try out today can store your bookmarks outside your browser so that they can be accessed from anywhere.
Type: Browser Extension (Firefox, IE, Safari)
Type: Browser Extension (Firefox, Internet Explorer 8, Safari, Chrome)
Type: Browser Extension (Firefox)