Opera Link is a synchronization service that works similar to Firefox Sync or Google Sync. Opera users can utilize the feature to synchronize bookmarks and other information with multiple computer systems and devices.

The following browser components can be synchronized with Opera Link:

• Bookmarks
• Speed Dial
• Bookmarks Bar
• Notes
• Typed History
• Searches
• Content blocker rules
• Search engines

The components differ from other browsers. It is for instance not possible to synchronize saved passwords or open tabs. We have not talked about notes yet. It is basically a note taking component of Opera that you can use to store textual information.

All versions of the Opera web browser have an Opera Link icon in the status bar. A click on the icon and the selection of Enable Synchronization opens the Opera Link setup wizard.

You can select the components that you want to synchronize with Opera Link.

You do need an Opera account to work with Link.

A green icon in the status bar of the browser indicates that Opera Link has been enabled and that data is being synchronized.

All you need to do now is to enable Opera Link on the other devices and computers as well to synchronize the data. Opera Link is not only available for desktop browsers but also on mobile phones, for instance as part of Opera Mini.

The initial synchronization may take a minute or two before the data becomes available in other Opera browsers and online.

One interesting option is the ability to access bookmarks, notes and speed dial links on your Opera membership website. This is basically your own personal online bookmarking service which can be handy, especially if you work at places where you do not have access to Opera but would like to access your bookmarks.

Actions like adding or deleting bookmarks are automatically synchronized with the Opera account if Link is enabled.

Criticism

If you compare Opera Link with Firefox Sync or Google Chrome Sync you will notice that Opera’s synchronization service does not sync components that the other two browsers do. Passwords need to be mentioned here in first place, but there are other components like extensions or preferences that do not get synchronized.

Extensions are relatively new and it is likely that the Opera developers are already working on the next version of Opera Link that adds the missing features.

Verdict

Opera Link is a handy feature for users that run Opera on multiple computer systems or devices. Especially the ability to synchronize bookmarks and notes with mobile Opera versions is a big plus. And lets not forget the ability to access bookmarks and notes online as well.

We have addressed the negative aspects under criticism already, and Opera should consider improving Link in this regard.

Advanced bookmarks, so called bookmarklets are another form. They are a mixture of bookmarks and small applets. They usually do not contain any link information but are stored in the bookmarks folder or toolbar of the computer.

So what is the best bookmark manager? Not an easy question as it may seem to be. The answer depends highly on the individual user. A computer user who only works on one computer and with one web browser may need nothing more than the built-in bookmark manager. Users with multiple web browsers on the same computer, multiple computers with the same or different browser, mobile devices, or computer access at locations without rights to install or synchronize bookmarks may all need different products.

Sometimes it may not be possible to sync bookmarks between different devices, and sometimes it may require the use of two programs or a workflow that requires manual steps.

Lets take a look at the built-in syncing capabilities of the five web browsers Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer and Safari:

Native Bookmark Syncing

All solutions have in common that an account is needed.

Firefox: Firefox users can make use of Firefox Sync to synchronize bookmarks and other data between the same and different Firefox profiles on the same or different computer systems. Firefox Sync is a built-in feature of Firefox 4, and available as an add-on for Firefox 3. Data is stored on a Mozilla server or optionally on a custom server.

Google Chrome: The Chrome browser comes with built-in synchronization of user data. Chrome users need to click on Tools > Options > Personal Stuff > Set up sync to setup the feature. A Google account is required and the data is stored online and synced whenever the user opens the Chrome browser and is signed into the Google account.

Opera: Opera Link is the name of Opera’s synchronization service. Opera users enable it in the browser by clicking on Menu > Synchronize Opera. An account needs to be created during the setup, the bookmarks and other information are saved online on Opera servers.

Internet Explorer: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer does not offer a built-in sync feature. Microsoft however has added synchronization to the Windows Live Toolbar. A Windows Live account is required to setup synchronization. IE users need to download the Windows Live Toolbar first and click the share button after the installation to setup bookmark synchronization. The data is synced with Windows Live Skydrive.

Safari: There does not seem to be a built-in way to synchronize Safari bookmarks (correct me if I’m wrong). Options are the paid Mobile Me service by Apple, or a third party workaround solution like making use of Dropbox.

Third party tools to sync bookmarks

Xmarks: One of the most popular bookmark managers thanks to its support for four out of the five browsers listed above. Only Opera is not supported by Xmarks. Users who do not use Opera, but multiple other browsers from the list above may want to use Xmarks to synchronize their bookmarks. The service is free and reliable.

Up until now we have not really looked at ways to synchronize web browser bookmarks with mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad or Android phones. There is unfortunately no standard for this yet. The best solutions are to either install a mobile web browser, for instance Opera Mobile or Firefox Mobile to sync bookmarks with a specific Internet browser, or to install an app like Chromemarks Lite, My Bookmarks App or Firefox Home to synchronize the bookmarks.

The best solution depends largely on the browsers used on the desktop computer and the mobile devices. There is no service that synchronizes all bookmarks.

Two-step syncing: It is sometimes necessary to configure two-step syncing which basically means to synchronize the bookmarks from one computer or device to another application that can then synchronize the data with the target device. Say you want to sync your Internet Explorer favorites or Safari bookmarks with your iPad or iPhone. You cannot do that directly unless you find an app that supports it. You could however configure iTunes to act as a middle-man.

Another option are applications, that are usually only available for a specific operating system. Transmute for Windows PCs can for instance comes as a free version that can convert bookmarks between web browsers and even mobile devices. The paid version adds synchronization so that it is possible to automatically synchronize bookmarks between web browsers and Android devices.

Verdict

There is no one application fits it all solution. I have created a small Excel table with links and information about the synchronization options between browsers and devices.

The spreadsheet has a lot of blanks and I’m asking for your help to fill them with information. You can download the latest version directly from Ghacks: bookmark manager synchronization.

The rest of the functionality remained the same. The bookmarks will still be stored in Google Docs and not in Google Bookmarks, apparently because of the way bookmarks are stored in the web browser. The latest builds of the Google browser, for example 4.0.223.11 and above, offer bookmark syncing between multiple computer systems running Google Chrome out of the box.

The new Synchronize my bookmarks option is located in the Tools menu of the browser.

A click on the Synchronize my bookmarks link will display a small popup window displaying a Google Account form.

Enter your credentials and the sync process should start immediately. You’ll be able to access your bookmarks in a weird location: a read-only folder in Google Docs (things will look less weird when Google Docs is transformed into Google Drive, a general-purpose online storage service). Install Google Chrome’s dev build on a different computer and you’ll be able to access your bookmarks, edit them and all the changes will be saved online.

It is unfortunately not possible to sync bookmarks across multiple web browsers using this method. An alternative that is working with multiple web browsers is the Xmarks extension which supports Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.

An alternative to share bookmarks is the software Transmute. Transmute relies on the Microsoft .net Framework and comes with an installer and as a portable edition. It supports the four popular web browsers Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Google Chrome. Firefox users will be delighted to hear that both Firefox 3 and earlier versions of Firefox are supported. The same is true for the Google Chrome browser where Chromium, developer builds and the official Google version are supported.

Transmute displays a source and target area in the interface. The user can pick a browser from a drop down menu and edit the browser’s path if that is required. This is for instance mandatory for portable browsers that might be used on a computer system.

Additional options are available which can be expanded in the main interface. The bookmarks will be added in their own folder in the target browser by default. The name of the folder and the timestamp can be changed in the options. They also provide options to import the bookmarks in the root folder instead, to overwrite existing bookmarks and to create a backup before doing so.

The target browsers need to be closed for the process which is also true for some source browsers like Firefox 3 which locks the bookmark database when it is running. Transmute provides an easy way to share bookmarks across browsers. Support for Safari and an option to schedule bookmarks would be nice additions to the software program.

The advantage of Opera Link is that it is build into Opera like many other features that can only be added to Firefox with add-ons. Opera Link can be used to synchronize Bookmarks, Notes, Speed Dial and the Personal Bar with an online storage at Opera. That storage can be accessed by other Opera browsers including Opera Mini. As a bonus the personal data can also be accessed directly on the Opera website which is excellent if you access the web from a computer that has no Opera browser installed.

Using Opera Link could not be easier. The feature can be accessed in the File > Synchronize Opera menu and requires an account at Opera. The account can be created right from the menu and the only data that is required is a username, password and email.

The transfer of the data is fast and I was not able to witness any delay in the process. The data will be continuously synced with Opera Link until the user decides to turn that feature off again.

Bookmarks and the other data will be synchronized with every browser that activates the sync feature and provides the same user data that has been entered during account creation.

The online version provides access to the bookmarks and Speed Dial links and even has an option to add new bookmarks.

If you do use Opera Link with Opera you can synchronize all bookmarks with Opera while other browsers obviously only have access to the web version. The changelog lists a lot of changes since Opera 9.5 Alpha including heaps of changes to the Rendering Engine and JavaScript / DOM.

Opera 9.5 beta seems to render websites faster than Firefox and Internet Explorer. I could make another performance test to see if the tests show that my subjective feelings are right.

Read More:

Opera 9.5 beta
Opera Link