No, Oprah Winfrey hasn’t launched an Ethereum browser, we are talking about Opera, the popular alternative web browser, who’s subsidiary, Opera Labs have finally released a working version of the new Opera Ethereum browser (for testing at least).

Earlier this year, Opera for Android announced that they would be integrating a working Ethereum wallet into their browser, paving way for a new drive towards exploring blockchain technology for the Opera team. This wallet was released in June and was soon followed by an announcement that suggested Opera would be releasing a new Ethereum based desktop browser too. As a part of the announcement, Krystian Kolondra, the EVP of Browsers at Opera said:

“After making crypto payments smooth and easy on mobile, we wanted the find the perfect solution for PCs. We realized the best way is to utilize our new mobile crypto wallet technology and to give our PC users access to it. Our next aim is to make crypto-integration mainstream. We believe blockchain technology has the power to transform the web of tomorrow and expect it to make a big difference in the years to come.”

Since the announcement, Opera have now made their first working version of the web browser available for use by testers.

The Opera Ethereum browser aims to allow its users to interact with all parts of the Ethereum blockchain. Users will be able to store and transfer their Ethereum and Ethereum based tokens/collectibles and users will be able to explore the many DApps that exist on the Ethereum blockchain. Interestingly, the browser also integrates with the Android version, allowing users to verify their transactions with their fingerprint amongst other cross device capabilities. Importantly though, even though the browser can communicate with the Android version, no private keys are ever transmitted between the two devices.

We’re not so sure when the browser will be released for public use at the moment, we guess that it depends on the success of the current testing phase. As testers use the browser and report back to Opera, the application will be improved ready for a full public release, though as it stands there is no date set for this.

The Next Web