The successor to Internet Explorer, Project Spartan, is now available in the Windows 10 Technical Preview. The new build (10049) can be downloaded by Windows 10 testers today, and it will feature the new browser. If you’re already running the technical preview you can follow the Windows Update, and if you’re not you can check out Project Spartan by joining the Windows Insider Program.

In a Microsoft blog post the company asked testers to be patient with the early version saying, “As with all other new features we’ve introduced, we have a ton of work left to do with Spartan so expect to see some bugs and rough edges in this first preview.” Redmond also revealed that not all Project Spartan features we’ve seen so far in demos will be available as part of the 10049 build.

Arguably one of the most striking features will be available, and that’s the annotation facility that allows users to write, doodle, give directions on webpages and then share the notes via social media, email, and save in OneDrive. The digital assistant Cortana is available as part of the new build, but only in US versions at the moment. Cortana runs in the background as you’re browsing, providing you with relevant information. Reading List and Reading View, features that help prioritize reading material, are part of the preview, as is  Project Spartan’s new rendering engine, that Microsoft says makes browsing, “fast, more secure and more reliable”.

In upper-case letters Microsoft stated in a blog that the preview is “NOT” the finished version by any means, and so the general public might give it miss and let testers give feedback first. Microsoft added that Project Spartan will be updated on a regular basis fro now on in an effort to engage more closely with customers and finely tune the new browser.

While Internet Explorer won’t be completely buried, it will only be shipped in some versions of Windows 10. Project Spartan will supplant IE as the browser of choice, replacing IE in the task bar and in the Start Menu of Windows 10.

Photo Credit: Microsoft, Project Spartan MSDN