Vivaldi 1.5 lets you control smart lights through your browser

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Vivaldi is a super-customizable browser that lets you adjust every menu, shortcut and toolbar to suit the way you use the web. It’s becoming a real contender to the likes of Firefox and Chrome, and Vivaldi 1.5 (released today) takes the web browsing experience beyond your screen by syncing your home lighting with the color scheme of the page you’re viewing.

• Check out our guide to the best smart home products

If you own a set of Philips Hue smart lightbulbs, Vivaldi can shift their color dynamically to co-ordinate with your browser’s contents. The result is more immersive browsing, and the browser’s developers are already thinking of new uses for the technology.

“This is just a first step for us,” says Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner, “but imagine a world where you get notified for a new email or web notification through a light bulb.”

Other new features in Vivaldi 1.5 include the ability to drag stacked tabs between windows. Tab stacking enables you to collect several tabs together in a group that can be minimized, expanded, closed or bookmarked with a single click – great if you often find yourself with a confusing mass of tabs open at once.

There’s also a new Reader Mode button that strips away page clutter for easier reading, and the Notes tool now takes a screengrab automatically if you add a note from a text selection.

The final addition is designed for Windows users with slow connections. Delta updates download only the changes from the last release.

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1. Google Chrome

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