'Internet': Amazon's lite browser for Android released in India
Amazon has discreetly released an Android web browser app in India. Called 'Internet: fast, lite and private' on Play Store, this app claims to be "lighter than the competition" and is compatible with devices running Android 5.0 Marshmallow and above. The app has been designed for emerging markets, where access to mobile data and high-speed internet is comparatively limited. Here's more about Amazon's 'Internet.'
The nitty-gritty about the app
Amazon's new web browsing app is touted to be lighter than the competition. It is just 2MB in size, and hence downloading it would be a cake-walk, even in patchy networks. For comparison's sake, Google Chrome is a 21MB file, Microsoft Edge is 54.5MB, Mozilla Firefox is 19.9MB and Opera's app size is 14.7MB. This is undoubtedly a remarkable feat achieved by Amazon engineers.
Private tabs, full-screen browsing mode and a news reader
The app description on the Play Store highlights that it offers a "private" user experience; it doesn't ask for additional permissions or collect private data like other browsers do. Additionally, the browser offers an integrated section for trending news, tab previews and an automatic full-screen mode. Notably, the app also supports Private tabs that will allow you to hide your browsing history.
Amazon had earlier released a Kindle lite app for readers
The e-commerce giant had previously released Amazon Kindle Lite app that is already available in India. The app offers basic e-book reading experience and its size is just 2MB. It was also designed for markets where access to high-speed internet is limited.
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Even Facebook and Google offer 'lite' apps
Like Amazon, other tech giants like Facebook and Google also offer "lite" versions of their apps. The social media company has Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite to cater to users with limited access to internet. Google has a suite of 'lite' apps under the "Go" branding such as YouTube Go, Files Go, Google Go, Google Maps Go and Google Assistant Go.
Editor's note
Giving the app a rather generic name 'Internet' is a masterstroke by Amazon. While the features offered by the app are holistic, but making it synonymous with Internet is far-fetched, especially in a country where digital literacy is limited.
