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.
Cortana is coming to your browser
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.
Other features include a
new way to group tabs together to declutter 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 will be a Windows Store app for regular 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.
Microsoft is planning to detail the consumer features of Windows 10 at its
press event later this month, including its phone and tablet features.
We reached out to
Microsoft for comment on its Windows 10 browser plans, but a spokesperson says
the company has "nothing to share."
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