Opera's Neon browser simplifies web tasks, app development with AI
What's the story
Opera has launched its latest AI-centric browser, Neon. The new platform comes with a unique feature that allows users to create apps through AI prompts. It also includes a capability called "Cards," which lets users create repeatable prompts. The launch puts Opera in competition with other companies like Perplexity and The Browser Company that have already launched agentic browsers.
User experience
Neon can summarize blogs, write code snippets
Neon comes with a basic chatbot for answering user queries. Its advanced feature, Neon Do, can perform tasks like summarizing a blog post and sharing it on Slack. The browser also has the ability to write code snippets for creating visual reports with tables and charts. However, it is still unclear if these mini-apps can be shared with others at this stage.
Innovative tools
'Cards' lets you create repeatable prompts
Neon's Cards feature lets users create repeatable prompts. This is similar to the Skills feature in The Browser Company's Dia. You can combine cards like "pull-details" and "comparison-table" to make a new prompt for comparing products across tabs. Another innovative tool is the "Tasks" feature, which creates contained workspaces of AI chats and tabs.
Market positioning
Neon is available via an invite-only program
Neon is currently available through an invite-only program for $19.99 per month. This puts Opera in direct competition with Perplexity's Comet and The Browser Company's Dia, as well as tech giants like Google and Microsoft who are also integrating more AI features into their browsers. However, unlike its competitors, Opera is marketing Neon as a product for power users with a subscription model.