Image: Norton
The URL bar on your browser has been doing double duty for years: you can use it to enter a web page address, yes, but you can also enter search requests. Neo, a new “free browser” from Norton, adds a third feature: AI prompting.
Norton, best known for its antimalware products like Norton 360 Deluxe, is entering the browser market. Norton Neo is an AI-first web browser that you can download. Sign up for to join the waiting list. Norton already ships with a browser. Norton Private Browseris similar, but does not have AI.
Neo replaces your search/URL bar by what it calls a “magic box,” which allows you to “search, generate and take action,” says Norton. It’s unclear which AI solution will be available to you or whether it’ll run locally or in the cloud. Norton promises you can “peek” into a search result and get an AI summary. It appears to be more of a list than Norton’s version of Google’s AI Mode. The Magic Bar also allows you to perform AI-powered tasks such as writing an email directly from the bar.
Norton is also working on another tweak, but I’m not sure how it will work: tables browsing. Norton promises “No more tab confusion–Neo will organize everything so that you don’t need to.” According to a FAQ, Neo won’t remove tabs from AI but will instead use AI to group them. Microsoft Edge and Opera One’s Tabs Islands do this already, using “Tab Groups” functionality.
Yes, there is an integrated ad-blocker, which many browsers are integrating. Norton says it won’t sell your browsing data and will only use “minimal anonymized data”. It will also block “intrusive advertisements” and trackers as a default. Norton explicitly states that it will never use your data for AI training. Norton does not explicitly state that it is built on Chromium. Chromium is the open-source foundation of Chrome and Edge. However, Norton states that you can use Chrome plug-ins.
The majority of browsers are free. Norton is a bit ambiguous in this regard. Norton confirms that Neo is free for download and use, with an invitation code to Alpha testing. “We may introduce optional features later, but core experience will remain accessible.” Neo will be added to the list soon.
Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld.
Mark has been writing for PCWorld since the last decade. He has 30 years experience covering technology. He has written over 3,500 articles, covering PC microprocessors and peripherals, Microsoft Windows, and other topics, for PCWorld. Mark has written for PC Magazine, Byte and eWEEK as well as Popular Science, Electronic Buyers’ News and Electronic Buyers’ News. He also shared a Jesse H. Neal Award with Popular Science for breaking news. He recently gave away a collection consisting of several dozen Thunderbolt Docks and USB-C Hubs, because his office has no room.
