Jeff Dunn/Business Insider
Opera's Neon "concept" web browser.
Remember when Chrome was exciting? It wasn't too long ago when Google's web browser was seen as a godsend, a minimalist and speedy alternative to the stagnant husk of Internet Explorer.Now, Chrome is at a point of dominance. And though it's not as messy as IE was at its peak, the magic has worn off. It's generally not the most power-efficient thing, either. But people still download it, because that's the thing you do when you get a computer. It's set the standard for other browsers, too.
In this light, Opera's Neon browser makes sense. The Norway-based software company released the so-called "concept browser" this past January, with the aim of envisioning a potential next step for where web browsers may go.
I've been using Opera Neon for the past several weeks, and while it's certainly rough around the edges, that next step is nothing if not intriguing. Here's what it's like: