Opera Ltd, the company behind the Opera browser, has recently revealed it upgraded its built-in cryptocurrency wallet to support Ethereum-based ERC-721 crypto-collectibles and tokens, including cryptokitties and MLB’s collectibles.
The Norwegian-based software company, through an announcement, noted the upgrade to the crypto wallet, which already supported Ethereum’s ether and ERC-20 tokens, is set to help improve user experience by letting users send crypto-collectibles without visiting their specific marketplaces.
It added it makes sending them as “easy as sending money via Venmo in the US or Vipps or Swish in Scandinavian countries.” The announcement reads:
We believe this is only the beginning of this trend and that, as technology and usability improves, more online games and other services will adopt such tokens. We also see the possibility for these unique tokens to unlock access to content or verify eligibility for certain digital services.
Extension-based Ethereum wallets like MetaMask already offered users similar functionalities. Opera claims to be the first major web browser to feature a native cryptocurrency wallet enabling the feature, which “makes using crypto-collectibles both easier and more fun.”
Per the post, this may “speed up adoption by a larger audience in the future.” Notably the browser reportedly has over 300 million active users, and launched its built-in cryptocurrency wallet back in July after receiving a $50 million investment from cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain.
The wallet, which in the future will be available on Opera’s desktop browser, is currently in a beta phase. To use it, users must sign up on Opera’s crypto page, so they can then be invited to test it out on their Android devices.
Opera’s first move to please cryptocurrency users was made earlier this year, when it rolled out a native cryptojacking blocker, which helps its users avoid seeing their CPU resources be used to mine cryptos without their consent. Its built-in crypto wallet lets users browse decentralized applications (dApps).
Featured Image Credit: Interface Image Courtesy of Opera.
