Cosmos: a Browser That Lets You Browse the Internet Without the Internet
Cosmos, till recently was a term, we used to describe the contents of the universe. Then Neil Degrasse Tyson came in this summer and gave us an epic new show by the same name. Now a team of four college and high school students from the U.S have created a browser that lets you connect to the internet without a data plan.
Cosmos is a one of a kind browser. When the user enters a URL, the browser sends it through SMS to a web service. The web service is made using Twilio and Node.JS. The service then loads the website and takes out all the scripts, images, CSS and sends it back to the device in one or more text messages.
The makers of the browser were able to get it on Play Store in less than a month. They have asked the users to be cautious while using the browser as it has some bugs since the app is still in its starting stages. The biggest hitch with the browser is that the pages take a while to load and when they do they are devoid of all the features, like images and scripts that makes web browsing interesting. Also, a user has to deal with many text notifications while using this browser.
You might want to get a reliable text plan to get the best out of this browser as it sends data through SMS. The app is currently only available to U.S. users to prevent overloading the infrastructure. But as it gets better, and gains users, there might be an expansion.
As the browser is just starting up, we’ll let the bugs slide as this sounds like a great way of bringing internet access to people who can’t afford it. At a time when major companies are planning drones and balloons to bring internet to the masses, a ground level effort like this is appreciated. We’d love to see where this Cosmos will lead us.
