Spartan browser is part of Windows 10 build 10049

Mar 31, 2015 06:49 GMT  ·  By

Windows 10 build 10049 launched this morning with one major addition in the form of Spartan browser, the official replacement for Internet Explorer when the new operating system comes out later this year.

Demoed for the first time in January at Microsoft's Windows 10 event in Redmond, Spartan browser is still in development stage, but the company wanted to provide users with an early look at the app with the very same goal of getting feedback and improving it based on what testers suggest and request.

Spartan comes with a new engine, a new interface, and new features, so you'll get a completely new experience from the very beginning, very different from what Internet Explorer can offer right now.

In build 10049, Spartan browser comes with a fully flat icon on the taskbar that looks just like the ones belonging to Modern apps, which emphasizes that it would be offered as a universal app available across all devices, including tablets and smartphones.

Interface and features

This is an early build of Spartan, so many features do not work as expected or crash the browser all of a sudden, so don't be too judgmental if you plan on giving it a shot.

First and foremost, Spartan comes with an all-flat and squarish design, so it's pretty clear from the very beginning that you're not using Internet Explorer anymore. There are new modern context menus (similar to the ones available in Windows 10's Modern apps), as well as new features that allow you to annotate websites and share information on the go.

As you can see in the screenshots below, Spartan is fully optimized for the touch, so you can easily annotate any page using a digital pen or your finger if you're working on a tablet. You can also capture a website, use multiple colors and pen sizes, just to make sure that your notes look the way they are supposed to.

Optimized for touch, coming as universal application

Sharing is made via built-in Metro apps, so whenever you use this option, the share charm opens up to let you select the tool you wish to share with, such as mail, Facebook, or Twitter.

Developer tools do not seem to work right now, but this isn't the only issue of the app. Crashes seem to occur every once in a while, and sometime, your websites refresh all of a sudden without doing anything. Pressing the “Make a Web Note” button also seems to trigger some sort of unexpected refresh when browsing specific websites.

All in all, Spartan browser is a nice effort to step away from Internet Explorer and provide Windows 10 users with something that can finally compete with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but right now, it's pretty clear that it cannot become your daily browser. It deserves a try, that's for sure, but it's slow, it crashes a lot, and it will drive you out of your mind in less than half an hour.

Windows 10 Spartan browser (13 Images)

Spartan browser in build 10049
Spartan browser in build 10049Spartan browser in build 10049
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