Update: Opera has released the beta version of Opera Unite in Opera 10.10 beta.
Original Article: Today Opera has released a product (as promised), which it claims reinvents the web. That may seem like an exaggerated statement, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless.
The product is called Opera Unite, and it is available at labs.opera.com. What Opera Unite does, is basically turn your computer into both a client and a server. It eliminates the need for third-party servers.
“Today, we are opening the full potential of the Web for everyone,” says Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner. “Technology moves in distinct cycles. PCs decentralized computing away from large mainframes. Opera Unite now decentralizes and democratizes the cloud. With server capability in the browser, Web developers can create Web applications with profound ease. Consumers have the flexibility to choose private and efficient ways of sharing information. We believe Opera Unite is one of our most significant innovations yet, because it changes forever the fundamental fabric of the Web.”
Current Opera Unite services include file sharing, web server, media player, photo sharing, chat, and “the fridge,” which allows users to post notes on their friends’ “virtual refrigerators.” I’m thinking this is basically like Facebook’s “wall.”
Here are some screenshots of what these services look like:
File Sharing
Web Server
Media Player
Photo Sharing
Chat
The Fridge
“What interests me about Opera Unite is how current technology and the social world are now interconnected,” says Molly E. Holzschlag, Web evangelist for Opera. “Using open standards including HTML, CSS and JavaScript, developers and even enthusiasts with a little standards savvy can make their own Opera Unite service. Opera Unite allows people the ability to be imaginative with their skills and create a wide range of technical and social applications using the same open standards used today.”
It seems that it is a little early for there to be any concrete opinions from users formed at this point. The Twitterverse appears to interested in the product, but a little unsure of what to expect (even those who have already downloaded it). Some have compared it to Google Wave, only with one being on the desktop, and the other on the web.
What are your initial thoughts on Opera Unite? Does this really “reinvent the web?” Tell us what you think.
