Features of Windows
new Web Browser
1) Microsoft
is planning to radically overhaul its web browser in Windows 10. Sources
familiar with the company’s Windows plans tell The Verge that the new
browser, codenamed Spartan, will include a host of new features not found
in rival browsers. Chief among the plans for Spartan is new inking support that
allows Windows 10 users to annotate a web page with a stylus and send the notes
and annotations to a friend or colleague. The web note service will be powered
by Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage, meaning notes will be stored on a copy
of a web page that can be accessed by any browser across multiple platforms. As
annotations are shared, multiple users can doodle on a web page and share edits
and annotations between groups.
2) A
second major feature for Spartan will be the integration of Microsoft’s Cortana
digital assistant. Microsoft is planning to use Cortana to surface information
on flights, hotel bookings, package tracking, and other data within the
traditional address bar. If you use Cortana to track a particular flight and
start to search for "American Airlines" in the browser address bar,
it will automatically display tracked flights and allow Spartan users to view
the status of the flight directly. It’s a subtle addition, but you’ll also be
able to access Cortana search directly from the new tab interface in Spartan.
Cortana integration in the Spartan browser is planned to replace every instance
of the existing Bing methods in Internet Explorer.
3) Other
features include a new way to group tabs together to DE clutter the
occasionally messy interface of multiple browser tabs. Spartan will allow users
to group tabs however they want, making it easier, for example, to split up
personal tabs from work ones. Microsoft also originally planned to allow
Spartan to support custom themes, but we understand the company has dropped
this for the final new browser in Windows 10. Such support may arrive in future
updates.
Spartan is designed
to be a single browser across PCs, tablets, and phones. We’re told that
Microsoft will make Spartan a Windows Store app, enabling the company to
quickly and easily update the browser in future. ZDNet previously
reported that Microsoft will continue to include Internet Explorer in
Windows 10, and we understand this will be primarily for legacy compatibility
reasons. Spartan is the main browser in Windows 10, and most users will be
accessing the web using it. While Spartan will be a Windows Store app, we
understand Microsoft isn’t planning to make it a universal app initially. One
version of Spartan will be available in the Store as a desktop app, and another
as a modern app for tablets and phones. Both will be updated regularly with
identical features.
Microsoft is
planning to keep the look and feel of Spartan very similar across phones,
tablets, and PCs. The desktop version looks like a simplified version of
Chrome, with a tabbed interface above the address bar, alongside options to go
back, forward, and refresh a page. It’s all designed to look lightweight,
without the bloat typically associated with older versions of Internet
Explorer. While the Spartan name is a codename, it’s not clear if Microsoft
plans to continue the Internet Explorer branding with its new browser. That
naming and other features of Spartan could play a part in Microsoft’s Windows
10 event on January 21st.
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