All posts tagged: browser

I wanted a simpler Brave alternative, and this new browser surprised me

I wanted a simpler Brave alternative, and this new browser surprised me

Published by skeptic

I’ve been using Brave for a while now, and it does exactly what it promises. The privacy defaults are solid, the ad blocking works, and the Chromium foundation means it runs right. However, I found myself curious whether something even leaner existed, a browser that covered the same privacy ground without accumulating quite so many features around it. Brave has grown into a fairly full-featured platform, which is great if you want that, but I wanted to find out what the experience felt like closer to the essentials. That curiosity eventually led me to Helium, an open-source browser built by a two-person team with a clear and almost stubborn philosophy: do less, but do it right. I wasn’t expecting it to hold up for more than a few days of testing. A few weeks later, it’s still my main browser. Related Switch to These Lightweight Browsers That Don’t Slow Down Your PC Like Chrome Discover the lightweight browser that uses 46% less memory than Chrome. It wastes no time telling you exactly what it is …

Opera Adds Browser Connector Feature to Integrate AI Chatbots Into Browsers

Opera Adds Browser Connector Feature to Integrate AI Chatbots Into Browsers

Published by skeptic

Opera announced Thursday the launch of a new tool that allows users of its browsers to include more AI chatbots in their browsing experience. Browser Connector is a free feature for Opera One and Opera GX browsers that allows users to integrate AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude into their live browsing sessions via Model Context Protocol. MCP is an open standard developed by Anthropic that allows for a secure two-way connection between AI models, external data sources and tools such as search engines. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)   Last month, Opera introduced MCP compatibility to Opera Neon, its subscription-based agentic AI browser. Opera says the new feature will allow a user’s AI of choice to provide real-time context of open tabs and active content. “With Browser Connector, Opera ensures users aren’t bound to a single company’s ecosystem, but are instead free to combine the best tools for their specific …

Opera just made it a lot easier to use your favorite AI in the browser

Opera just made it a lot easier to use your favorite AI in the browser

Published by skeptic

Summary MCP Connector lets external AI clients like, Claude and ChatGPT, connect directly to Opera Neon. This reduces friction by allowing you to use your normal tools instead of Opera’s options. The connector is available now to Opera Neon subscribers, and a simpler option will come to Opera One and GX in the future. As the agentic AI boom accelerates, companies are rolling out features and connections at a dizzying pace. On March 31, Opera announced a new Opera Neon feature to help AI clients plug into the browser. The aptly-named MCP Connector lets AI clients like Claude, ChatGPT, and OpenClaw use Opera Neon to accomplish tasks on your behalf. What is MCP Connector for Opera Neon? A bridge between your browser and your favorite AI tools Credit: Opera Opera Neon technically already had agentic AI capabilities. The browser has access to four Opera agents: Neon Do, Neon Make, Neon Chat, and ODRA (Opera Deep Research Agent). Each handles a specific type of request — Do will use the browser to accomplish tasks (like research or …

I’ve been paying a month for a feature that’s been free in my browser this whole time

I’ve been paying $10 a month for a feature that’s been free in my browser this whole time

Published by skeptic

I had tunnel-visioned myself into using Acrobat for everything PDF-related, from reading to highlighting. It was as if I was justifying the cost by using the program. But, as it turns out, Firefox already had all the PDF manipulation features I needed. Also, seeing Adobe’s business practices, I’m better off without their tools, especially considering that the free version of Acrobat Reader is practically a running advertisement for Adobe’s paid features. Firefox can do a shocking amount of what I was paying for Adding text, annotating, adding images, highlighting for a total cost of $0 If you’ve used Adobe Acrobat, you’re probably aware that it takes its own sweet time to load. Add to that Adobe’s background processes which can use a sizable chunk of your CPU. My PDF usage is mostly related to filling up forms, signing, and highlighting: all of which can be done in Firefox. In fact, I find it far more convenient to open a downloaded PDF form in the browser, fill in the required info, save it, and email it. …

Samsung’s new Windows browser is fast, but is a let down in two key areas

Samsung’s new Windows browser is fast, but is a let down in two key areas

Published by skeptic

Fellow Windows sufferers, rejoice: we’ve been blessed with yet-another-browser-option. Samsung’s popular Internet Browser has officially launched on desktops after a long beta period, meaning that anyone can start using it. It’s an interesting move from Samsung. Internet Browser is one of the most highly rated Android browsers, but that’s partly due to the sheer weight of Samsung owners worldwide. Not that many folks don’t like Internet Browser regardless — many find Internet Browser a better mobile browser than Chrome and stick with it regardless, as it’s deeply integrated into One UI and its various apps and services. The big question is, how does Samsung Internet translate to Samsung Browser, where it doesn’t hold an automatic advantage over most of its competitors? Samsung Browser gives us another Chromium-based browser option But it is easy to use Samsung is immediately on the back foot on Windows. It’s vastly more competitive, with Chrome holding around 70-75 percent of the global browser market, and everyone else battling it out for scraps. Given this is yet another Chromium browser, it’s …

Opera GX for Linux is way more than great gaming browser – here’s why

Opera GX for Linux is way more than great gaming browser – here’s why

Published by skeptic

Jack Wallen/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Opera has released its gaming-centric browser for Linux. With Opera GX, you get plenty of killer features for everyday use. Opera GX is free to install and use. I use a lot of web browsers. I test/review even more. And given that I spend most of my day on Linux, I’m always looking for new browsers that are available to the open-source OS. That’s why when the Opera team reached out to me to let me know that its GX browser was now available for Linux, I jumped at the chance to try it out. I’ve used Opera GX on Android and found it to be one of the coolest mobile browsers on the market. Between the mods, the fast-action button, GX Corner, shake to change theme, and My Flow, Opera GX mobile quickly became the mobile browser to beat for me. Does Opera GX on Linux stand up to that rather high bar? Let’s find out. First impressions After installing Opera …

OpenAI ‘Superapp’ to Merge ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas Browser

OpenAI ‘Superapp’ to Merge ChatGPT, Codex, and Atlas Browser

Published by skeptic

OpenAI has a Mac “superapp” in development that unifies its ChatGPT app, Codex coding platform, and Atlas browser, reports The Wall Street Journal ($). The idea behind the all-in-one app is to simplify the user experience, following the launch of several standalone products, some of which haven’t resonated with OpenAI’s customers. The company is also trying to bounce back after the recent successes of its main rival, Anthropic. OpenAI executives are said to be looking at areas it can deprioritize while it focuses on creating agentic AI capabilities within the new superapp that can work autonomously on a user’s computer to carry out various tasks like writing code and analyzing data. In an all-hands meeting last week, OpenAI’s chief of applications Fidji Simo reportedly told employees they couldn’t afford to be distracted by “side quests” given Anthropic’s rapid success winning over enterprise and coding customers. From the report: An OpenAI spokeswoman said the new “superapp” will enable teams inside OpenAI to work more closely together, and help the research division focus its efforts around improving …

Google Shakes Up Its Browser Agent Team Amid OpenClaw Craze

Google Shakes Up Its Browser Agent Team Amid OpenClaw Craze

Published by skeptic

Google is shaking up the team behind Project Mariner, its AI agent that can navigate the Chrome browser and complete tasks on a user’s behalf, WIRED has learned. In recent months, some Google Labs staffers who worked on the research prototype have moved on to higher-priority projects, according to two people familiar with the matter. A Google spokesperson confirmed the changes, but said the computer use capabilities developed under Project Mariner will be incorporated into the company’s agent strategy moving forward. Google has already folded some of these capabilities into other agent products, including the recently launched Gemini Agent, the spokesperson added. The change comes as Google and other AI labs rush to respond to the rise of highly capable agents like OpenClaw. While these tools are mostly used by developers today, Silicon Valley believes they could soon power general-purpose assistants for people and businesses. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang compared the buzzy tool to a new operating system for agentic computers. “Every company in the world today needs to have an OpenClaw strategy,” he said …

This AI tool turned my messy browser tabs into something actually manageable

This AI tool turned my messy browser tabs into something actually manageable

Published by skeptic

David Gewirtz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways AI tagging turned my messy bookmark pile into a searchable archive. Karakeep rules automatically sort YouTube videos by topic. A homelab server powers my knowledge library, and there’s a cloud option. Tabulomania. Navigatio compulsiva. Hypertabulosis. Cognitiva tabula retention disorder (CTRD). Informationes retentio compulsiva. This is too good. I asked ChatGPT for the name of the medical or psychological condition where you keep too many tabs open. When it replied there was no such condition, I asked it, “What if there were?” It replied with the names above. Also: Chrome on Android just got two huge upgrades that can fix your messy tabs – what’s new I think it’s a tie between CTRD and tabulomania. Whatever you call it, did you know there’s a cure? In this article, I’m going to tell you all about it. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in …

Perplexity Launches Comet AI Browser for iPhone With Built-In Assistant

Perplexity Launches Comet AI Browser for iPhone With Built-In Assistant

Published by skeptic

Perplexity today expanded its Comet browser to iOS, making its AI Comet Assistant available to iPhone users. The Comet browser for iOS has many of the same features as the Comet browser for the desktop, including a voice mode for speaking questions and a hybrid search experience, but it does lack extensions. Comet offers standard search results like you might expect from any web search, but the added Comet Assistant is able to provide more in-depth answers and complete tasks. Comet supports Perplexity’s Deep Research feature that’s able to ingest information from multiple web sources and provide quick, useful summaries. The Comet Assistant can also complete web-based tasks, like summarizing emails, searching for products, comparing prices across websites, and more. With the new iOS app, Comet works across different devices, so users can start a search on one device and pick it up on another. Perplexity does collect browsing and search history from Comet to create ad-targeting profiles to serve ads to users. Comet was priced at $200 per month when it first launched last …