Amazon has quietly released a mobile browser that's designed to be lighter than the other current browsers in the market.
Amazon Names Its Lite Browser 'Internet'
Amazon's browser takes the unassuming name of Internet. It features a simple design with some basic features. Internet has a Private mode that does not save the browsing history, something like Chrome's Incognito mode.
"Fast, lite, and private," the description reads.
Amazon's browser stays true to its promise with a size of 2 MB in Google Play. In comparison, other mobile browsers are at least seven times larger. Opera is 14.7 MB big and Firefox is at 19.9 MB. Chrome mobile is 21 MB in size, while the Edge browser is larger at 54.5 MB.
It should be fast enough for those with limited data connection and memory. Furthermore, Amazon claims that Internet does not collect private data nor ask for extra permissions.
Amazon Web Browser Is Not Available In The US
For now, Internet is available only in India, which is likely why the browser is customized for the Indian audience. As per the app's description, the Home Page is designed to keep the users up-to-date with the news. In the screenshot, the news articles are from Indian websites. Cricket, one of the most popular sports in the country, is prominently shown through the Cricbuzz website.
Moreover, feedback is sent to Amazon India, which is also the team responsible for the Kindle Lite app in the country.
Amazon's Internet has been sitting in the Play Store since March, but since it was unannounced, it only has fewer than 1,000 downloads as of April 17. The browser is compatible with Android 5.0 and newer, but it does not work yet on OnePlus and Xiaomi devices.
What Happened To Amazon Silk?
This is not Amazon's first web browser. The e-commerce company launched Silk in 2011, and it is installed on Fire devices with Android OS. Yet, the company made an all-new browser rather than make a lite version of Silk.
It is unknown what Amazon's game plan is for now. There are plenty of more popular options in India, specifically the built-in browsers that are not any worse than Internet. Furthermore, it does not support local languages.
However, there are speculations indicating that this might be a part of a strategy to penetrate India's market. Amazon just launched Echo speakers with customization options for the Indian audience. It also has the Prime subscription service running in the country.
Amazon has not yet made any comments on this matter, so industry observers are still in the dark what the browser is about.
