The year 2024 is off to a great start for The Browser Company. In the midst of a beta testing program for the Windows version of its Arc browser, the company is unveiling a complete overhaul of its companion app for iPhone, Arc Search, powered by AI.
When the start-up The Browser Company unveils Arc Browser in 2022, the objective is clear: to revolutionize the Internet user experience by rethinking the navigation interface like an operating system for the Internet. Until now only available on macOS, this brand new web browser recently entered the beta phase for Windows. At the same time, Arc, which already offered a companion on iPhone, was working on an overhaul of its mobile application. Called Arc Search, it is already available in France, but, for the moment, makes more promises than it delivers.
AI, yes, but in English and in no hurry
Originally, there was Arc for iPhone, a simple companion app that just allowed people to save links to view later on Arc Browser for macOS. A first test which will, however, have allowed the publishing start-up to identify the actual needs of its users, but above all to take the turn towards artificial intelligence. Because today, Arc for iOS becomes Arc Search, a much richer and more convincing redesign than the initial model. At least on paper.
This time, there is no question of playing the role of the paperweight. Arc Search intends to actively support Internet users by reshaping online search. A clever objective which begins with a new interface, but which finds its real interest in the integration of artificial intelligence at the heart of its mode of operation.
Concretely, Arc Search is built around existing language models, including that of OpenAI, and its mission is to accelerate web search. Based on the observation that Internet users opening their browser want, in 80% of cases, to quickly access concise information, Arc has strived to develop an intelligent search engine, capable of compiling the results of six web pages in a single answer. To do this, simply enter any query in the navigation bar and press the “Browse for me” button.
Tested in the editorial office, the app still needs to make some progress to really revolutionize the way we explore the web. French queries go through with difficulty, while Arc Search takes its time to digest the site results and compile the information in English.
A creative process that announces great prospects for Arc Search
Despite the hiccups inherent in any first general public release of software and applications, Arc Search is based on good ideas and could really reshape web browsing in the months to come.
On Reddit, the company posted a detailed post on the journey taken since the first mention of a redesign for Arc on iOS. We learn that a “small team” has been assigned, with the mission of imagining the best browser for iPhone. Just four guidelines: act as if it were the first day of the company’s existence, ignore Arc desktop, find a way to get the best answer to a query as quickly as possible, consider that it’s not just a browser.
In addition to these instructions, employees were surveyed to find out what else they were looking for in a browser. The ax has fallen: easily make it the default browser, block GDPR pop-ups, block newsletter subscription pop-ups, block ads and block trackers. Wishes respected to the letter without exception, since Arc Search is able to respond positively to all these demands.
The very way Arc Search was designed also allows it to limit unnecessary clicks and speed up the navigation process. According to the company, Arc is twice as fast to control as Chrome and Safari.
We will end with the addition of welcome options, improving the comfort of the browsing experience, such as the fluid management of multiple web pages or the simplified comparison of several products or restaurants, for example. Also included is the automatic closing and archiving of tabs every evening, so you can easily keep your browser clean and organized.
Next step for The Browser Company: the creation of Arc Anywhere, a cross-platform synchronization space which will allow Apple users to free themselves from iCloud and synchronize their data and browsing sessions on all their devices, regardless of the operating systems used.
According to the latest Data Privacy Day barometer published at the end of the year, 72% of French people are aware of disclosing personal information when browsing the Internet. However, there are alternatives that allow you to surf in complete confidentiality: private browsers. Brave, Tor Browser, DuckDuckGo, Mozilla Firefox, LibreWolf, Iridium and Pale Moon are designed to restrict data collection and anonymize Internet users’ journeys. But what is the best private browser in January 2024? Discover our comparison to make an informed choice.
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Source : The Browser Company
I dismantle, I reassemble, I repair, I tinker, I experiment, I divert, I shape, I start again. Determined, nothing electrifies me more than spending hours trying to understand the why and the how, until it works. If I'm not behind my screen testing software or writing about Silicon Valley, you'll find me in the vegetable garden configuring a connected irrigation circuit, powered by solar energy.
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