Microsoft announced a new browser that will be replacing Internet Explorer in Windows 10 last week, code named Project Spartan. In addition to a new rendering engine, Spartan will have three new features.
New to tablets is the ability to capture screenshots of webpages and annotate directly on them, with syncing to OneDrive and sharing with collaborators. Beyond pen-like note-taking features, you can also click anywhere on a page and add comments and annotations, much like in Office documents.
Microsoft is also touting Reading View, a button that converts the page into a more readable text-and-images format, although that particular feature has been a part of Internet Explorer since IE8. Though Reading View itself isn’t new, Microsoft is adding a Reading List that syncs across devices with Spartan installed, presumably your tablet and/or Windows phone.
Lastly, and most interestingly, Microsoft will be integrating Cortana to Project Spartan in a very cool way. On pages where it’s relevant, such as a restaurant website, Cortana will provide useful information like directions to the establishment, operating hours, contact information, and links to Open Table to make a reservation. Think of Cortana’s integration like a Google Now that can make itself useful without the need for prompting by the user. Project Spartan’s implementation of Cortana has tremendous potential to influence the way assistant apps like Google Now and Siri operate, responding to context rather than direct requests from users.
As of now, Project Spartan is without an official name, and rumors suggest that it may not support third-party extensions. It’s also unclear at this time whether Microsoft is ushering in Project Spartan as a replacement for Internet Explorer, or if it will come installed alongside the aging browser. Regardless, it’s exciting to see Microsoft finally introduce a new product that isn’t weighed down by the marred legacy of its past versions. Spartan may not replace Internet Explorer just yet, but it will undoubtedly be Microsoft’s flagship browser product going forward, which is promising in itself.
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