Vivaldi gives its browser a buffing, adds a dashboard

Vivaldi has updated its eponymous browser - it now has a refreshed user interface and a dashboard packed with widgets.

While the browser engine remains based on Chromium (as are most desktop browsers), the customizable interface around it has long been a hallmark of Vivaldi, alongside the company's obsession with user privacy.

However, the interface, despite the customization possibilities (and there are a lot of those), has been starting to look distinctly long in the tooth, and so a revamp is long overdue.

The most visual change is around browser tab handling, with tabs now appearing as floating lozenges rather than squared-off elements of earlier versions. Vivaldi says, "Tabs now float, creating a clean, spacious look that feels intuitive and modern."

Also updated are the icons, which have a more modern appearance. There's nothing revolutionary here; it's all just easier on the eye.

Alongside the user interface polishing is a customizable control center that Vivaldi has called the "Dashboard," accessible via an option on the Start Page navigation bar. While being able to festoon a browser's start page with various elements is not new, Vivaldi's Dashboard takes things further, allowing users to manage their Mail, Calendar, Notes, and Tasks in the same browser window.

Furthermore, pretty much any website can also be used as a widget on the Dashboard, "turning it into a true command center," according to Vivaldi.

A true command center it might be, but it is also distinctly reminiscent of the glory days of Windows Phone or Apple's Control Center. Widgets can also be added to the Android home screen. It also carries a distinct whiff of one of the first Windows 11 features this writer tends to turn off - the Widgets board, into which Calendar and Email widgets can be dropped.

The Register asked Vivaldi what differentiated its take on the dashboard and widget concept, and a spokesperson said: "Our Dashboard is quite different. Firstly it's fully customizable and it offers easy access to all our built-in tools like mail, and feed-reader.

"Secondly, with web widgets, users can basically add/create their own widgets (depending on their technical capabilities).

"We see Dashboard as something that will add great value to the user, and plan to expand the amount of available widgets rapidly with future releases."

Other updates in the release include separate feeds in the Feed Reader, the ability to jump to the latest mail, and real-time synchronization of tabs, bookmarks, and settings across desktop devices.

Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner said, "This is more than just a browser update. This is a new Vivaldi and a leap forward for users who demand more control and power in their browser."

He might be overegging the pudding somewhat. However, the refreshed interface is appealing, although we're a little dubious about the Dashboard, particularly since, from a user's perspective, similar functionality is present elsewhere, if not as wildly flexible as Vivaldi's take.

Ultimately, the updates are unlikely to lure many users away from other platforms, but for those already there or who make the move, things now look much more modern. ®