Web browser maker Maxthon has introduced a cloud browser for Windows Phone. While this latest announcement doesn’t have the same immediate growth potential for Maxthon as the deal it announced last month with MediaTek, which will preload its mobile browser onto at least 100 million Android smartphones next year, the company says Windows Phone is important to its cross-platform philosophy.
Last month, Kantar reported that Windows Phone sales, led by Nokia, are now in double-digit percentages in the UK and France, at 12% and 10.8% respectively, with its share of sales in Europe’s five biggest markets at 9.2%. In the U.S., Windows Phone accounts for just 3% of sales and in China it’s just 2.1%. Despite its very gradual growth, releasing a browser for Windows Phone users is a key part of Maxthon’s strategy, says Karl Mattson, vice president of Maxthon’s International Division.
“From our perspective as a company, we absolutely want to be a part of Microsoft’s smartphone growth, particularly as its been developing in emerging markets, but we’ve also made a commitment to the multi-device, platform-agnostic Web,” says Mattson. “We launched our browser with the idea that you don’t have to make a choice. You don’t have to put all your devices into one product. You can pick and choose.”
Like Maxthon’s other browsers, its Windows Phone browser includes the ability to sync your pages and bookmark across multiple platforms (including Android, iOS, Windows and Mac) with a free Maxthon Passport account.
Maxthon for Windows Phone competes with Internet Explorer 10’s mobile version, as well as alternatives such as UC Browser and MetroUI Browser. Maxthon hopes to woo users with features designed to make its browser easier to navigate with one hand. These include patent-pending tab navigation that will allow users to swipe up and down to go back and forth in their browsing history and a pop-up address bar. Maxthon also adapted its “Quick Access,” which enables faster navigation to favorite sites, for Windows Phone with live tiles.
Maxthon currently has 120 million users per month in more than 150 countries.