Web Browser: Opera Face Gestures

Martin Brinkmann
Apr 2, 2009
Updated • May 21, 2018
Opera
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The Opera team is never shy when it comes to introducing new features in the company's Opera web browser that are then copied by other browser companies and developers, and added to those web browsers as well.

Their newest feature is called Face Gestures and as the name implies, it allows Opera users to control web browser functions with their face. A webcam is obviously required to use the face gestures as is the latest alpha release of the upcoming Opera 10 web browser which can be downloaded from the announcement page.

The face gestures feature can be enabled in the web browser by pressing F8. Opera will automatically calibrate the passive facial expressions of the user sitting in front of the webcam. It is important to stay calm and passive during that phase so that the calibration will be successful.

A set of facial gestures stand at the user's proposal after the calibration phase. It is possible to go back and forward in the browsing history, zoom in and out of pages, reload, open the homepage or speed dial page, open tabs and bookmark pages using nothing but facial expressions. The Opera team created a video that is showcasing the feature in detail

opera face gestures

The release announcement contains a section at the bottom that is addressing known problems with the facial gesture feature. This includes beard and hairstyle problems as well as adult and financial site related ones. The latest Opera 10 Alpha snapshot containing Facial Gestures can be downloaded from the Opera website.

Update: It should be clear by now that this has been an April Fool's joke by Opera. Opera will not offer Face Gestures as described in this review. The webcam requirements make it an impractical implementation, considering that many users do not have a webcam and that it would not make sense to add features to Opera that only a minority of users would use.

Summary
Web Browser: Opera Face Gestures
Article Name
Web Browser: Opera Face Gestures
Description
A look at Opera Software's newly announced Opera Face Gestures feature which allows you to control the web browser with your face.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Muhammad Bilal said on June 8, 2010 at 1:54 pm
    Reply

    I have Opera , A webcam connected and Windows 7..
    But when i Press F8 nothing happens..

  2. dolphin guest house said on April 10, 2009 at 1:26 am
    Reply

    i think this is true. in the beggining i did not believe now i do.

  3. Tobey said on April 3, 2009 at 3:51 pm
    Reply

    01001000 01100001 01101000 01100001 00101100 00100000 01101110 01101001 01100011 01100101 00100000 00111010 00101001

  4. Krish said on April 3, 2009 at 10:52 am
    Reply
  5. rruben said on April 2, 2009 at 8:28 pm
    Reply

    hahaha, too funny!
    I put this movie on my hyves (dutch facebook)

    I actually thought this was real, lol
    I mean , why not, it could have been possible :-P

  6. iampriteshdesai said on April 2, 2009 at 7:18 pm
    Reply

    But my readers are 2 damn clever apparently.

  7. Roman ShaRP said on April 2, 2009 at 7:17 pm
    Reply

    But my readers are to damn clever apparently.

    {nods} :)

  8. iampriteshdesai said on April 2, 2009 at 6:11 pm
    Reply

    “I figured it would be more interesting to post it on April 2 :) But my readers are to damn clever apparently..”
    My heart tells me that you got pwned by Opera power.
    BTW Martin I have started my first website College Czar.
    I’ve been a long time reader, so now tell me if it is good or not…
    or else I’m leaving!

  9. Nagungo said on April 2, 2009 at 5:13 pm
    Reply

    april fools on april 2. Haha, you can all go home now.

  10. pipomolo said on April 2, 2009 at 5:11 pm
    Reply

    What’s the point of relaying an obvious april fools’ hoax one day after ?

    Don’t tell me you actually thought this was real ?

  11. Martin said on April 2, 2009 at 5:26 pm
    Reply

    I figured it would be more interesting to post it on April 2 :) But my readers are to damn clever apparently..

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