Defining "Fico" a PC program like the web browser might seem exaggerated and out of context, but as soon as I tried Vivaldi 3 it was the first adjective that came to my mind, because it brings the experience of viewing websites to a higher level than all other browsers.A few years ago, in 2022, one of the creators and founders of the Opera browser started developing a new web browser called Vivaldi, For Windows, Mac and Linux, based on Chrome, similar and better than Opera.
Today this browser has reached the Vivaldi 3 version showing itself completely different from the competition, with a user interface that is, by far, the most usable thanks to the sidebars and the innovative card management.
The side bars they are, indeed, the real one difference between Vivaldi and Chrome on which it is based anyway (and in fact you can install the Chrome Web Store extensions), which make it a better browser on PC with big screen.
The main menu on the top left of the Vivaldi V button and with the convenient side panels for accessing the main functions (which can be hidden from the button at the bottom left), namely: Favorites, History, Cards.
The other buttons are the download manager, one tool for writing notes and that for add sites inside panels fixed, which is a great convenience.
ALSO READ: Best browsers to download for all computers
While previously it may have seemed just an experimental browser, beautiful, but lacking many important features, Vivaldi 3 is now a full browser which could really be used every day, enjoying its special features.
Navigating with Vivaldi 3 therefore becomes a pleasure, because it is so immediate to switch from one tab to another using the side column and find all the tabs even if they were 100, because you can immediately see your favorites and the history without changing the page and without leaving navigation (because they appear on the side column).
Tutto, in the Vivaldi interface, can be customized in the Settings menu that allows you to choose how the tabs should appear and how to arrange the buttons, bars and all menus.
For example, you can choose where to place the tab bar, whether to hide the side panels and then the colors and the home page, which shows previews of favorite sites and the ability to immediately see history and bookmarks.
It is also possible to make Vivaldi's theme light in the day and dark in the evening for better reading.
The important improvements of Vivaldi 3.0 I'm:
- Absolute speed
Vivaldi 3 is faster than most popular browsers, with faster rendering of web pages loaded virtually instantaneously.
Comparing Vivaldi 3 to Firefox you will find that while text from a page like this is loading at nearly identical speed, images appear noticeably faster on Vivaldi.
Even if in a single test it is a negligible difference in speed, for those who surf a lot by loading pages after pages it could instead be decisive.
- Vivaldi Sync
Synchronization was a missing feature in Vivaldi, absolutely necessary for me.
Now with an account on Vivaldi Sync it is possible to keep your favorites and settings synchronized in order to find them also on the other computers used.
The function is easy to set up and just press the speech bubble key at the bottom left or go to settings using the V key.
- Tab Groups
With Vivaldi the cards can be grouped into one, dragging them over with the mouse to create the group.
The split-screen tabbed view, then, is really superior to what you can do with other browsers, because you can resize the tabs to perfectly fit their visual experience.
To use this feature, you need to use the tab headers view, so you can drag them onto each other with the mouse (you have to hover over and then release before it passes over to the other side).
When you create a group of two cards, a tab appears that is used to resume the card.
By placing the mouse on the tab group, the thumbnails appear below to switch to one or the other.
- Panels and sites side by side
If you want to keep a site like Facebook or Twitter always in the foreground, or maybe the Whatsapp or Messenger chat, you can do it using the panels function.
By pressing the + key on the left column, you can add the panels you want and then activate them as needed.
The column of the site open on the panel can be expanded and enlarged, making it much easier to place two web pages side by side on the screen, which becomes very convenient especially on large screens.
Vivaldi is therefore a highly configurable browser, with a super cool interface that renders the transition from one site to another is pleasant and fluid and the consultation of multiple pages at the same time, like no other browser can do on a PC.
Then there are fancy and useful tools such as the notepad, the dynamic zoom, the button for take a picture of the page and save it as an image (bottom right) and then the page test button, which shows a whole series of special effects.
This is the button at the bottom right with the icon made at <>, the Actions on the page, good for developers and also fun for the ability to render pages with a 3D view.
Vivaldi can be downloaded for free for Windows, Mac and Linux from the site Vivaldi.com
ALSO READ: The ideal browser for the most demanding: Vivaldi customizable and full of tools.
