Vivaldi Beta 2 is out

Vivaldi Beta 2 has been released a moment ago moving the browser one step closer to a final release. Downloads are available on Vivaldi.com, and via the browser's updater.

The new beta version includes all features and improvements that Vivaldi added to the browser since the launch of the first beta version back in early November 2015.

This is the last Beta release of Vivaldi in 2015, and also the last release of the browser in the year.

Many small and a couple of big changes went into Vivaldi Beta 2. Some highlight that work needs to be done, while others that Vivaldi is not just another browser that jumped on the Chrome-clone bandwagon.

Vivaldi Beta 2 Changes

Tab Closing Improvements

 

The tab closing behavior was changed in a recent build. The main difference to before is that tabs won't adjust their size automatically anymore while you are clicking on the close button.

This lets you close multiple tabs in succession without having to move the mouse as the close button remains in the same position while you do so. Open tabs are resized once you are done closing tabs.

Extensions

Extension compatibility has improved significantly. Vivaldi, which is based on Chromium/Blink, supports the majority of Chrome extensions, and this update makes sure that even more extensions can be installed without issues in the web browser.

Bookmarks Trash

A trash was added to the bookmarks and notes which allows you to restore bookmarks or notes that you have deleted previously.

Panel Hiding

Vivaldi ships with panels displayed on the left side of the browser. These panels let you access bookmarks, contacts, downloads, notes or mail in the sidebar. In addition to that, you can also add website links there to open those sites in the sidebar.

A right-click on the panel interface displays options to hide some of the existing panels.

Silent Tabs

Vivaldi displays audio indicators in tabs in the latest beta, and a switch to turn off the audio in the selected tab.

All you have to do is click on the audio icon to mute or unmute sound.

Other improvements

What follows is a list of smaller changes that are part of Vivaldi Beta 2:

1. Netflix Support.
2. Option to move tabs between browser windows.
3. HTML5 notifications support.
4. Setting a minimum font size.
5. Setting default character encoding.

The Future

Vivaldi plans to release the first stable version of the web browser in early 2016. While Vivaldi is pretty stable already, there are still features missing and things that need to be done before it can be released as a final version.

Doing so should give the browser a significant boost.

Now You: Have you tried Vivaldi? What's still missing in your opinion?