My Opera Unite Page
Starting up the Opera 10 web browser, you’ll notice that there is a small button located near the top-left corner. Clicking on this brings up a pane-based dashboard from which you can access the Opera Unite services.
The main Opera Unite page will look like the screenshot shown above, granting you (and your acquaintances) access to the Opera Unite services you have selected to employ. These services are listed along the left-side pane, each of which can be activated, started, stopped, adjusted or deleted at will.
The little “gear” icon next to each service is used for configuration purposes of each service. So, what Opera Unite services can you get? Let’s have a look at some of the default inclusions.
Sharing Your Files
In the past, the way that I would go about sending files to my friends and family would be via email. However, most free online email accounts limit the size of attachments. From there, I progressed to online file sharing services like YouSendIt, but these only offered temporary storage. Even services like DropBox aren’t the answer. Although they provided a repository for large files, it also meant that I had to trust a third-party with my files. Opera Unite overcomes these issues by letting you share files directly with your acquaintances.
You choose the folders that you would like to share, as well as the access control. The files can be completely public, protected by a password, or only accessible by you. As mentioned, your computer will need to be on for the files to be shared. A specific URL is used to share the files.
The Online Media Player
Don’t you hate it when you are at work, a friend’s house, or traveling and you don’t have access to your monstrous music collection back home? Sure, there are Internet radio stations to keep you entertained, but there’s nothing like listening to your own tunes. The Opera Unite Media Player provides this exact service.
The interface isn’t exactly the most robust thing in the world. It’s not even very attractive. What it does allow you to do is have complete access to your media library everywhere and anywhere you have an Internet connection. As with the file sharing service, your home computer will need to be on and you will need the specific URL to access your media library.
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, you can only see the file name of your songs. It would be nice if the service included the ability to read the ID3 tags, letting you see other information like artist, album, and so on. At least it has shuffle and repeat.