Opera Coast is ready to impress you... and then be forgotten

Do you remember Yahoo Axis? It was an iOS Web browser that it seemed as though everyone thought it was the second coming of the mobile Web. It was called "impressive," "surprisingly fresh," and "one of the best Web browsers," only to be unceremoniously killed off after everyone forgot about it. Well, get ready for round two, because Opera Coast is about to pull the exact same stunt.

This morning the blogosphere and social media are peppered with opinions that Coast has done something with mobile Web that has never been done before. The gimmick here is that Web pages are arranged on the Coast home screen as though they were apps. You can create these icons based on pages you visit often, but these eye-catching buttons are really nothing more than bookmarks in practice.

There's also no real URL bar, so don't expect to type in a link as you might on Safari or Chrome for iOS. Instead, there's a search feature that does its best to provide the results you're looking for. Type in "TUAW" and an icon with our site's logo pops up. Click it to travel to the site, which pops up in its own window. Recently visited sites are organized in a stack on the home screen, and sites can be scrolled through using touch gestures, as you might click through your various browser tabs.

In short it's more complex under the guise of simplicity. Instead of tabs you have pages, and instead of bookmarks you have icons. There's nothing here that makes it any better or worse than the existing crop of Web browsers on your iPhone, except for the fact that it's "new."

"Browsers have been the same way for 20 years and their conventions get in the way," reads the passive-aggressive App Store description for Opera Coast, and that much is true. Is there a better way to browse the Web than what we currently have? Perhaps, but Coast isn't it. It's simply the same Web in a slightly different wrapper.

If you feel like your web browser needs a wallpaper -- which is perhaps the one thing that Coast offers that hasn't been done before -- it might be your new favorite app. But for the vast majority who download it, the return to Safari or Chrome will be expeditious.

Spoiler Shield is the first line of defense against spoilers

Chances are good that if you've followed a big hit show -- say Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, or Scandal -- at some point the internet has ruined a big plot twist. You've got the episode DVR'd at home, waiting for you while you live your life. Then, while checking your Twitter or Facebook timelines, some jerk you follow suddenly spills the beans:

Can't believe they killed all those dragons in Game of Thrones with AK-47s. Didn't see that coming.

- John-Michael Bond (@BondJohnBond) April 18, 2014

All you can do is scream "NO!" to the heavens. You wouldn't want to seem overly sensitive for deleting someone just for spoilers. Up until now your only options were to avoid social media or deal with the consequences, but now there's a better way. Spoiler Shield is a free iOS app that allows you to scan your Facebook and Twitter feeds without worrying about unintentionally finding out who killed who this week.

When you're viewing your feeds with the app, any post that matches your specified "shields" appears blocked, with the option to reveal the devious text if you'd like. You can see what that blocking looks like in this screenshot. Your shields block spoiling tweets regardless of when they appear during the week, so it's an easy and efficient way to keep yourself in the dark.

Spoiler Shield doesn't just work for TV nerds; assorted shields are available blocking spoilers about various sports leagues and celebrities. Best of all, it allows you to select which specific teams to have shielded so you can keep up with scores without ruining the game you want to watch. While the app has an incredibly broad list of shows that can be shielded, it doesn't allow you to input custom options, so you're out of luck on more obscure programs.

Even if you don't use the app to block potential spoilers, it's worth considering as an alternative to the native Twitter or Facebook apps. It's nice to be able to post, like, comment, retweet, and favorite without having to switch in and out of apps. The interface is fast and clean, and short of private messaging capabilities Spoiler Shield can basically do everything those other apps do.

With weeks left in season 4 of Game of Thrones and summer series just around the corner, it's wise to safeguard your friendships from spoiler arguments. Convincing people online not to be jerks is hard. Take the option out of their hands with Spoiler Shield.