Opera Unveils New 'Ice' WebKit-Based Browser for iOS and Android

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Posted January 19, 2013 at 5:49am by Shalom Levytam

Opera has unveiled a new WebKit-based browser called 'Ice' for iOS and Android devices, reports Pocket-lint. The browser is set to launch in February and aims to hide technology as much as possible using gestures instead of buttons.

"This is a full touch and tablet-focused browser," says the product manager in the video. "Most are taking a PC browser and squishing [it] into a tablet, or they are taking a mobile browser and blowing it up to fill the space."

In the meeting, the creator of the browser showed off a beta version of the software. Tabs will be replaced with icons on a homepage, while new pages are accessed via search or typing in a URL. If users want to bookmark a page they can tap a part of the screen and then place an icon for that page on the opening screen. Nefarious sites will come up with a warning sign, blocking you from accessing them.

"We need to go into a new phase, we need to lift our games on certain areas to ensure we continue to grow," said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera.

Take a look at the video below for a glimpse at the new browser...

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Timmy - January 21, 2013 at 1:37am

i wish Netscape Navigator was released for iOS. Netscape was the best back in the 90's.

Steve432 - January 20, 2013 at 3:36am

I can dig it.

transeunt - January 19, 2013 at 1:59pm

The 'drag back' gesture is nice, like Safari on Mountain Lion; in one sense that'd be nice in Safari iPad, perhaps as a 3-finger swipe. At least it would avoid

transeunt - January 19, 2013 at 2:02pm

…conflicting with dragging the page content (2-finger used to scroll in-page scrollable areas.) Unfortunately that wouldn't be the most efficient gesture when holding the iPad in both hands. This app looks like a decent attempt at a different UI for a browser. Presumably they'll add synching with Opera desktop, like Safari & Chrome.