Opera’s Power Saving Mode Offers Twice the Laptop Battery Life as Chrome

Opera is currently on a roll. As the date of its buyout through a Chinese consortium come closer, it is trying what it can to get as many users on board as possible. The latest such feature is the new Power saving mode, available currently only on the developer version of Opera but could make its way to the users soon.

The feature is targeted specially towards users who are usually on the move and want to get the most out of their battery life. Opera claims that its browser with the power saving mode on can result in a battery life which is twice that of contemporary browsers such as Firefox and Chrome.

Opera has done a few things to make this possible. When in the mode, the activity on background tab hinders, frame rate reduces, animations are paused, while unused plug-ins are paused. JavaScript use is scheduled more prudently, while more work is loaded at hardware acceleration.

To verify these findings, Opera tested its claims on two different laptops from Lenovo and Dell, and found that while the ones without the setting ran out of juice in under two hours, the ones running the power saving mode reached almost three.

The option can be accessed whenever your laptop is disconnected from its charger. The browser will alert you once your battery reaches 20 percent to turn on the mode.

Opera has been adding features to its portfolio quite rigorously. It first became the initial mainstream browser to feature a built-in ad-blocker (which is both faster and less of a resource-hog than AdBlock) then it brought the same feature on mobile. It also brought a built-in VPN to its users, meaning this power saver is just a link in this chain of developments.

Opera Browsers Now Offers Free & Unlimited Built-in VPN service

INTRO:

Opera becomes the first web browser to offer a built-in Free, unlimited and 256-bit encrypted VPN service for everyone.

Opera's Free VPN protects unencrypted browser session from leaking on public WiFi networks and will also let unblock firewalls to improve privacy and security.

Detailed:

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become an important tool not just for large companies, but also for individuals to improve web privacy, dodge content restrictions and counter growing threat of cyber attacks.

Opera has released an updated desktop version of its web browser with a Free built-in VPN service to keep you safe on the Internet with just a click.

That's a great deal!

For those unfamiliar, VPNs are easy security and privacy tools that route your Internet traffic through a distant connection, protecting your browsing, hiding your location data and accessing restricted resources.

Free VPN Service with Unlimited Data Usage

Unlike several other free VPN services, Opera's built-in free VPN service will offer you unlimited data usage as well. You just have to turn on a virtual switch in the Settings menu to enable the feature.

So you required to install no third-party extensions, pay no monthly fee as well as set no limit on data usage.

"By adding a free, unlimited VPN directly into the browser, no additional download or extensions from an unknown third-party provider are necessary," Opera's engineering chief Krystian Kolondra wrote in a blog post.

"So, today, our Opera desktop users get a handy way to boost their online privacy, as well as easier access to all their favorite online content no matter where they are."

Opera's Free VPN Offers 256-bit Encryption

Opera's Free VPN service uses 256-bit encryption to hide all your connection details and replaces your IP address with a virtual one, making it difficult for the government or anyone to trace your location, identify your computer or block content they do not want you to see.

The free VPN feature in Opera has been made possible after the company acquired VPN provider SurfEasy  last year.

Here's How to Try Opera's Free VPN

To give Opera's Free VPN a try, install the latest developer version of Opera for Windows and Mac, look for the 'Privacy & Security' tab and toggle this feature ON.

Since Operas Free VPN service is available in the latest developer version of Opera, the service lets you switch between three virtual locations: The United States, Canada, and Germany.

However, the company says it will add more countries in the stable version of its browser.