After releasing a crypto-only browser, Opera is again innovating to present the first emoji-based web address search. This marks the first time in the history of the internet that instead of typing a series of letters and words, users will be able to navigate to a website by entering an emoji in the URL field.
Reporting from TechRadar Pro (15/2), the addition of emoji in Opera is a form of partnership with Yat, a company that allows users to have a personalized set of emojis. Opera Mobile EVP Jorgen Arnesen provided further details regarding this new partnership.
“This partnership marks a major paradigm shift in how the internet works. It’s been almost 30 years since the world wide web was launched to the public, and there hasn’t been much innovation in the web link space, people still include .com in URLs. Through the integration with Yat, Opera users can remove .com or even words in their links and use only emojis to be directed to websites. It’s new, easier and more fun,” Arnesen said in a press release quoted by TechRadar Pro.
This emoji-centric integration makes it easy for anyone on the internet to find and be directed to the Yat page, which is a unique domain for generating personalized emoji sets. Users can customize their Yat page or redirect it elsewhere on the web.
As for musicians who have joined using Yat, among others, Lil Wayne who directs users to his record label, Steve Aoki who will take users to his website. Likewise G-Eazy, Kesha, Young Money, and Disclosure.
With 90% of the 4.6 billion internet users worldwide using emoji to express themselves according to Brandwatch, Opera’s integration with Yat opens up new ways for people on the web.
