Windows 10’s Spartan web browser will bring unique features to Internet Explorer

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Back at the tail end of 2014 we heard that Windows 10 would usher in a major overhaul of Microsoft’s beleaguered Internet Explorer web browser – and now we might know just what that entails.

The Verge has published a story detailing several features of the browser (which is codenamed Spartan) that would, if true, enable Internet Explorer to offer things no rival browser can provide.

Cortana and note-sharing

The report claims that Microsoft will integrate Cortana, the Siri-esque digital personal assistant, right into the browser. Replacing the current Internet Explorer’s Bing search methods, Spartan’s Cortana (yes, Microsoft’s getting very Halo-oriented with its naming conventions) will locate information on flights, hotel bookings, package tracking and the like from the address bar.

There’ll also be support for “inking”, which essentially means you’ll be able to jot notes and sketches onto a web page using a stylus (obviously, a touchscreen is required too), then send them to a contact. That contact will then be able to view a version of the same web page with your annotations on top. The inking information will be stored in Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service.

Spartan will also allow users to group tabs together to cut down on clutter. For example, you could divide your tabs between work-based ones and personal ones.

The report also claims the browser is designed to offer a similar experience on desktop, tablet and smartphone, and will be released as a Windows Store app, allowing Microsoft to update it quickly and easily across all platforms.

Microsoft is holding a Windows 10 event on 21st January, which could shed more light on Spartan and confirm whether or not The Verge’s claims are accurate. Stay tuned.

[Source: The Verge]

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Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.