Microsoft Corp. is working on a massive revamp of Internet Explorer, which will appear alongside Windows 10 later this year.
The Redmond, Wash.-based company has given a code name to the latest version of Internet Explorer, dubbing it as “Spartan.” It’s also been working on a few new features to breathe new life back into the often-panned web browser, according to The Verge.
While Microsoft spokespeople wouldn’t confirm the company’s plans for Internet Explorer, one thing Spartan will be offering is the ability to doodle on a mobile web page with a stylus. For example, users who want to annotate and mark up a page can write all over the web page, pointing out whatever areas they find most important and then saving that to Microsoft OneDrive. That allows users to be able to collaborate with each other and mark up the same web pages if they wish, and to share their edits with each other.
Microsoft will also integrate Spartan with Cortana, a digital personal assistant modeled on the AI character in the Halo video game series. This doesn’t come as a big surprise, given Microsoft first added Cortana to its Windows Phone mobile devices and is also slated to appear in the newest release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. For Spartan users, Cortana will pull up information on their flights, hotels, and so on, all within the web browser’s address bar.
While Windows 10 users will get Spartan as their main web browser, Microsoft isn’t going to cut Internet Explorer out of the picture entirely. It’ll still be available in Windows 10, so enterprises that rely on it as a legacy browser can keep using it. Spartan will most likely get released as an app in the Windows Store, making it easier and quicker for Microsoft to update it as needed.
More details could be on the way during a Windows 10 event on Jan. 21, if Microsoft chooses to share them.