Opera Air was launched on Tuesday for Windows and macOS as the company’s first web browser built around the concept of mindfulness. Currently in early access, it incorporates features such as breathing exercises, binaural beats, and inspiring quotes to enhance the user’s well-being as they browse the web. Opera says its new mindfulness-based web browser sports a minimalist Scandinavian design and frosted glass user interface (UI) which can adapt to the background of the website displayed on the screen.
Opera Air Browser Features
Keeping mindfulness at its centre, the Opera Air browser comes with a feature called Take a Break. As the name suggests, it encourages users to take a break between browsing sessions to recharge and do exercises. It is located in the sidebar, which when selected, takes the user to different exercises, including a handful dedicated to breathing, meditation, and neck. Their duration depends on the exercise type, taking from as little as three minutes to a full 15 minutes. Alternatively, it can also be accessed by using Ctrl + K or Cmd + K keyboard shortcuts for Windows and macOS, respectively.
Opera Air’s Take a Break Feature
Photo Credit: Opera
Meanwhile, it also has what Opera calls a Full Body Scan. The company says it is a guided routine which enables them to focus on different parts of the body and “deeply connect mind and body”. All of the mindfulness exercises are guided by real voice actors and users can select between Alex or Emma. Although it can be toggled manually, they can also choose to set break reminders and their frequency.
Another key feature in Opera Air is Boosts. It leverages binaural beats, an auditory technique which plays two slightly different frequencies in each ear so that the brain may perceive a third frequency, inducing different mental states such as focus or relaxation. The binaural beats are accompanied by a music track and an ambient sound, and users can adjust their levels and frequencies as per their preference with the help of sliders.
Of course, the feature requires headphones to work, following which Boosts such as Creativity Boost, Energised Focus, or Deep Relaxation may be induced. This feature has a default period of 30 minutes but can be adjusted between 15 minutes to an unlimited duration. It is also accessible in the sidebar of the Opera Air browser.
Lastly, the company has also improved the Speed Dial feature by adding a Quote of the day. Mindful quotes will appear at the bottom on the browser’s main screen. Opera says quotes can be shuffled through, customised, and even deactivated.
