Opera for Android goes off-roading

On Tuesday, Opera for Android finally graduated from beta and into the final release zone, becoming available on the Google Play store.

Discovery is a news content aggregating feature built into Opera.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eddie Cho)

After a recent announcement about overhauling their browser and migrating to Webkit from their homemade Presto engine, Opera has been hard at work at redefining the browsing experience from the ground up. Since the release of beta and the move to Webkit, Opera's team has directed their focus toward what they believe to be more valuable feature innovations for Opera while keeping up with rival browsers.
But a redesigned interface is just the beginning. Opera for Android also retains popular features like Speed Dial and improved compatibility, thanks to Chromium. The new "Discover" and "Off-road mode" have also become permanent additions to the Opera family, taking center stage with this version release.
Discover is a native feature within Opera that surfaces articles and content from the Web, based on the user's interests. While the idea of newsreaders and content aggregators isn't anything new, having it built into the browser does save you the trouble of running separate apps just for content discovery and surfing the Web. Having the feature included is a UX bonus and is also in line with Opera's move toward branding their environment as the place for discovery and diversity.

Off-road mode compresses data consumption while improving browsing performance in spotty areas.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eddie Cho)