Opera Rolls Out Native Ethereum Support
It is no secret that Opera became the first mainstream browser to include native Ethereum support on its mobile browser. Now, one of the most widely recognized browsers has announced the availability of the feature on desktop. As such, users will be exposed to the realm of cryptocurrency and decentralized applications.
A Built-In Crypto Wallet
Opera’s experimental release, which is basically the latest version of Opera Labs, comes with a built-in crypto wallet feature. In other words, as soon as the feature passes all testing phase, users can expect it to become available on all Opera desktop installations.
The desktop version of the aforementioned feature suggests that Opera is trying to take a different approach towards user management. Still, users will be prompted to connect their respective mobile Opera crypto wallets. From there, they could simply use their device to sign transactions. This process could be likened to a hardware wallet, so to speak.
It should be noted that a PIN or, if available, fingerprint will be utilized in order to verify the transaction on the mobile device. According to Opera, this feature is designed to protect users from every possible vulnerability or exploitation.
Importance Of Opera Integration
It holds true that Opera accounts for about 3.7 percent of the overall market share of the browser industry. This is due to the fact that both Chrome and Safari remain the biggest players, both of which have a combined market share of at least 71 percent.
With the integration of Ethereum and the ERC20 standard, this acts as a huge step towards mainstream recognition of digital assets and decentralization applications. And despite having a relatively small market share and user base, Opera still remains a very recognizable browser. It even has an active and loyal following to date.
As for this writing, on Google Chrome, users of Ethereum and dApps tend to rely solely on MetaMask. The latter is basically a non-custodial ETH wallet purposely built and operated by ConsenSys, which is a blockchain software studio founded and managed by the altcoin creator Joseph Lubin.
An ETH user reportedly tested the aforementioned integration on Opera. Interestingly, it turned out really well. He loved the fact that mainstream browsers are finally able to integrate Web 3.0. He even said about the incredible split between desktop and mobile, with the latter offering security and the former convenience. It is definitely interesting to see the greater heights this integration could bring later on.