Software update: Opera 22.0.1471.50

Opera has released version 22 of its web browser of the same name. Opera switched from its in-house render engine Presto to Blink last year. This is part of Chromium, which is also used by Google Chrome, among others. Opera is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. New in version 22 is, among other things, the possibility to adjust the appearance by means of themes. In addition, from now on, the Windows version will automatically update itself without user intervention. The complete release notes for this release can be found below.

A new web browser with a fresh look

We have gone through considerable effort to make Opera look slick and modern, while still blending in nicely with its surroundings. Since our browser was born in Norway, we decided to take Opera’s look a step further by selecting five new, inspiring themes that showcase the local scenery. They complement Opera and add a touch of Scandinavian style to your desktop. We hope you like them as much as we do!

You can switch between these new themes by selecting Opera Menu → Themes on Windows or View → Show Themes on Mac.

For an even greater selection, drop by the themes section of the Opera add-ons site. You can also set any image you find online as a theme by right-clicking on it and selecting Use Image as Theme.

Silent, seamless updates

It’s very important to update your browser regularly, to keep you safe and secure when surfing the web. To help, Opera releases a new version every few weeks. While updating is necessary, we know how annoying it can be to have windows popping up asking for your password just to update your browser. This is especially true when you are immersed in your favorite website.

With Opera 22, we have introduced a new silent-update mechanism on Opera for Windows. This update will be the very last time you seen that irritating authentication dialog while surfing the net. From now on, you can browse away without distraction, and feel safe knowing Opera is always up to date and secure.

We have also introduced a technology to reduce the size of the updates, which means that updating Opera uses less bandwidth. If you are interested in the technical details of these installer changes, read our earlier developer blog post.

Key fixes and improvements

• New Default Themes
• Silent updates on Windows (this will be the final release that displays the update dialog)
• Smaller updates to conserve your bandwidth
• Updated Chromium to 35.0.1916.114.

For the long list of changes refer to the Opera 22 Changelog.