Vivaldi is launching the next major version of its web browser, which features Vivaldi Translate and betas of Vivaldi Mail, Calendar, and Feed Reader.
“With our biggest launch of the year, we aim to give you a real alternative to Big Tech,” Vivaldi co-founder and CEO Jon von Tetzchner writes. “Today’s update expands our integrated tools in the browser with major additions: Vivaldi Translate and the much-awaited beta versions of Vivaldi Mail, Calendar, and Feed Reader.”
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Vivaldi is most well-known as being perhaps the most customizable Chromium-based web browser, but it also offers a metric ton of unique user interfaces, which can make it more confusing to use than other browsers. So with version 4.0, Vivaldi has added default layouts so that users can tailor the UI to their needs. There are three layouts: Essentials, which provides Do Not Track, Ad and Tracker Blocker, and Translations capabilities; Classic, which adds panels, a status bar, and Fast Forward/Rewind; and Fully Loaded, which adds Mail, Calendar, and Feeds.
Vivaldi Translate is described as a built-in, privacy-friendly translation feature that is powered by Lingvanex and hosted by Vivaldi, “keeping translations out of the reach of companies like Google or Microsoft … Your translation activity is for your eyes only.”
The new Mail, Calendar, and Feed Reader features look interesting, too, though they’re implemented as sidebars in the browser and not as standalone apps. Mail automatically detects mailing lists and mail threads, automatically categorizes mail, and offers integrated search. Calendar optionally lets you keep all of your data local to protect your privacy further, and it offers improved support for several online calendars such as Fastmail, Zimbra, iCloud, and more. And Feed Reader lets you follow any site or service that offers an RSS/Atom feed, and it disables promoted content.
“Vivaldi represents your needs and what the current times demand,” Mr. von Tetzchner continues. “We move ahead as a company that does not exploit your data for profit. We continue to build products that have more ethos, more functionality, and better user experiences.”