Have you ever changed browsers?
Or are you too scared to?
I get it. This is perhaps the one part of the internet you use more than any other. Unless you're old and decrepit like me, you literally spent your whole life curating your browser - saving some logins, keeping others private, maybe designing your own theme... you've certainly favourited a long, long list of websites and bookmarks.
When you think about it, changing browsers is potentially more stressful than changing phones.
But I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be - and there are alternatives out there you probably haven't even heard of, let alone considered.
I've been giving the Norton Neo AI browser a decent go lately and today I actually made it my default.
You may have encountered browsers from other cyber security firms before. The general idea is they can keep you safer from all the perils of the internet if they control the portal you access it from - a bit like getting into your car in your internal garage, then driving to your basement carpark at work, never really coming into contact with the outside world.
The trouble is, from what of seen of some of those "integrated" efforts in the past, they were pretty terrible. They looked bad and were often behind in functionality compared with other, modern browsers. Some I've seen are even weighed down with advertising for their own company's products. Ick.
Norton Neo is kind of the opposite of all that.
To begin with, don't resist trying it because you think it will take forever to set up. Whatever browser. you're currently using, you can transfer all your bookmarks, logins and extensions across to Neo in moments, just by following the simple prompts.
Norton Neo claims to use AI to anticipate your every move, which is kind of a weird thing to say but if it can, that'd be quite a boost to your productivity. And here's what's crazy, when it comes to visiting my regular pages and sites so I can pin the most important ones to the top of my list of vertical tabs, it really does seem like Neo knows what I'm trying to do. The pages load so quickly it's almost as thought they were already open. I think this might be the fastest browser I've ever used.
It helps that there are no ads.
In the name of protecting your privacy, Neo blocks advertising by default - which obviously some sites get a bit angsty about so it's easy enough to make them an exception if you really need to. If you've been weighed down by the constant bombardment of popups and intrusions every time you're just trying to read a quality article like this one, that could be reason enough to try Neo.
Because of Norton's built-in cyber vigilance, you should be well protected against phishing attempts too. In fact, Neo is so focused on protecting your privacy, most of it's AI functions happen on your device, with no personal information being sent anywhere else. This is quite different to how the other money-for-data-driven big tech browsers operate. And again, it just makes using it faster.
You'll find a Neo Chat prompt in the top right-hand corner of the screen and any time you need help with - well, anything really - all you have to do is ask. This can range from spell-checking the excellent review you're currently working on, to reminding you to stop working soon and get dinner ready. And of course, Neo Chat knows quite a bit about how to use Neo.
As I mentioned, I like to use vertical tabs - although you don't have to. This is the only part of the way Neo is set out I wish is a little more flexible. The vertical tab column takes up quite a bit of space and the option to auto-hide the side panel is greyed out when you use vertical tabs - it only works when your tabs are messily spread across the top of the page.
Tabs can be grouped by AI using Smart Tab Management - I'm not a serial tab-opener like some people but I can see how this can be useful for those of you who are. If you ARE one of those people, you'll know that having dozens of tabs open simultaneously is a great way to slow down both your browser and even your whole computer. Neo isn't into that so will shut down tabs you haven't visited for a while to maintain processor power where you need it, rather than playing ads and videos in the background where you're not even looking at them.
Meanwhile, everything else is wonderfully stripped back. Even the welcome page (mysteriously, Neo calls this the "Magic Page") can be kept to the bare minimum - a search box obviously, a small weather widget, a clock, a prompt to invite friends to use Neo and a news feed based on your interests. Surprisingly, all this can be switched off leaving you with a lone search box. Bliss.
The theory is, the more you use Norton Neo, the more it learns your habits and preferences. I haven't been using it long enough to confirm how effective this is but it's still early days. You even have the option to "Manage" Neo's memories, if you feel uncomfortable about your own browser building up a personal dossier on your work habits so it can be more helpful to you. You shouldn't be worried; remember, that information is staying on your device (and being synced to other devices where you're using Neo and have signed in under the same profile).
Unfortunately, when I click on the Mange Memories setting to "view or delete" I'm told I need to sign in to do that. I have signed in. Oh well, like I say, early days.
I've been so impressed with the speed, security and lack of clutter Norton Neo offers, I'm keen to use it on all my devices but alas, at this moment it's only available for MacOS and Windows PCs - although when I asked Neo if there were Android or iOS versions available, it told me they were "coming soon."
For now I'm more than happy with what I've got and if you've become frustrated with your slow, ad-bloated and possibly dangerously unsecured browser, I suggest you take the plunge and give Norton Neo a go. It's a powerful, legitimate alternative.
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