Microsoft Edge: the browser that killed off Internet Explorer, revealed

Previously known only under its codename, Project Spartan, Microsoft has taken the wraps off its slimmed-down new browser

The browser that finally killed off Internet Explorer has finally been named. And its name is Microsoft Edge.

The company said some time ago that it would kill of IE, instead creating a new, slimmed-down and much faster browser that was then codenamed Project Spartan. But Microsoft has now named the new project as well as giving more details on how it will work, at its annual developers’ conference.

The browser has a new logo. But it looks almost identical to the old one, still depicting a swirling lowercase “e” — though the directions of those swirls have been changed and the colour is a little darker.

As well as being slimmed-down and much faster, the Edge features new features like the ability to draw on top of web pages. It also has Microsoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana, built in to assist with searches.

The company said in March that it was trying to find a name that would kill off the now-toxic Internet Explorer brand, while retaining some of the connection with the old product. The company said then that research had shown that users liked named with Microsoft in them much more than those with Windows or Internet Explorer.

The old Internet Explorer will continue to be available in Windows 10, at least for a short period. That will allow companies that haven’t yet updated important sites to work with newer browsers to be able to continue working. Microsoft is expected to kill the site off entirely after that.