Opera Software has released an iPad-only browser named Coast. The WebKit-based browser, which the company promotes as “the browser that should have come with the iPad”, dispenses with the traditional toolbar and is optimized for a touchscreen interface.
Instead, users swipe back and forth to navigate between pages and, in order to keep the interface as clean as possible and to help users focus on the web page they are currently viewing, the URL box is missing. There are no tabs for individual pages; users can switch back and forth using thumbnails, much like switching applications in iOS 7, and close down pages by swiping upwards.
The home screen of the app displays a number of well-known websites, such as YouTube, Google+ and Vice, which can be realigned and deleted if wished. Pages that are commonly viewed will begin to appear on the home screen over time. The Coast browser relies on the WebKit browser engine, which is built in to iOS, rather than Opera’s own proprietary engine used in its past browser efforts.
Opera sees it as simply an attempt on its part to redesign, and redefine the browsing experience on a tablet device. The company plans to release Coast on other devices, such as the iPhone, and Android devices soon.
Coast is available FREE for the iPad in the App Store. [DIRECT LINK]
