While Microsoft has been tight-lipped concerning its long overdue replacement to Internet Explorer sources have given some indication to The Verge as to what we might expect in the browser, codenamed Spartan. Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, will play in a big part in what’s already being dubbed as a feature-tastic web browser that may put an end to Google’s monopoly.

Similar to Google Now, predictive technology that finds what you’re looking for before you have even inputted any text, Cortana learns about the user and therefore understands the finer nuances of what information is most relevant to that particular user. As an example, a person could input an airline name into the address bar and travel information relevant to the user will become accessible.

Another reported plus to what we’re are told is a one of a kind browser is an annotation feature which allows you to leave notes on webpages and save them on OneDrive, ready to be shared with friends or left for future personal reference.  There will also be a declutter feature which will help to maintain an interface that has become confusingly untidy. Users will be able to put tabs into groups, separating work from play. The multi-platform browser will be available for desktop, tablets and phones in the Windows Store application so that it can easily be updated. It’s reported that updates for desktop and other devices will be identical.

It’s said that Spartan will look something like Chrome and Firefox, but will offer far much more in terms of features. While Internet Explorer is expected to stay around for backwards compatibility purposes, Spartan will be the go-to browser. It’s highly likely that come January 21^st when Microsoft hosts its Windows 10 event we’ll know a lot more.

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