Screenshot by ZDNET / Perplexity YouTube channel
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ZDNET key takeaways
- Agentic AI has arrived on the mobile browser.
- Comet browser is Perplexity’s and is now available for Android and iOS.
- You can use this browser for free.
We all knew it was only a matter of time before agentic AI hit the mobile web browser. I’ve tested agentic AI on the desktop and, quite honestly, I’ve not been all that impressed. Why? Because doing things on a desktop is really easy for me.
However, doing things on a mobile device is not quite so efficient. First of all, my mobile typing skills would be laughed at by Gen Z. On top of that, I find so many tasks on mobile phones (regardless of the OS) to be a chore.
So, when I was finally able to test the upcoming Comet browser on Android, I jumped at the chance.
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Comet was developed by Perplexity, which means it uses Perplexity AI to power all of its agentic functions. If I had to choose a favorite non-local AI, Perplexity would certainly be listed at the top of the heap.
But how well does a solid AI translate to an agentic mobile browser experience? Let’s find out.
Agentic AI in a box
The idea behind agentic AI is simple: make repetitive or cumbersome tasks easier. Having such a feature on a phone sounds intriguing… like AI in a box that you can carry around with you to handle things that might otherwise have you groaning.
Comet has now been made available to the public, so anyone can install it on both Android and iOS. All you have to do is head to your respective app store, search for Comet, and tap to install. Now, is it worth the time?
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After walking through the simple onboarding (which asks you to either sign in to your Perplexity account or create a new one (it’s free)), the Comet main window is there to do what it does.
Comet is more than just agentic AI, as you can use it as a traditional browser.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Shopping with Perplexity
I decided to jump into the deep end and do a little agentic shopping with Perplexity. I’m currently setting up a new nano reef tank (yeah, I’m all kinds of nerd) and am in need of an RO/DI unit. So, I typed, “Find me an RO/DI unit on Amazon for under $100.”
Comet is highly capable for shopping, as long as you are specific.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Comet did its thing and came back with the results. Unfortunately, the results consisted of only RO/DI replacement cartridges. So, I typed, “I’m looking for a whole unit.” Comet then came back with household RO/DI units, so I further narrowed my request to “only units for aquariums.” Comet then listed aquarium filters. With just a bit of frustration, I typed, “Wrong. I need RO/DI units for an aquarium.”
Finally, Comet understood what I was asking for and delivered.
One last follow-up with “Units that are under $100.00.”
Bingo. Comet listed some viable units.
I furthered the request to only list units on Amazon, and Comet complied.
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I could have very easily opened the Amazon app and typed “RO/DI for nano reef” and would have received similar results. But if I wanted to find the lowest price for a quality unit, I might want to search other vendors (especially those dedicated to the hobby). With a price comparison, I would not only be certain to see the best deal, but I might also find a new online retailer for whom to take all my money.
The key to a successful Comet query is to be as specific as possible.
What Comet can do with music
Next, I decided to see what Comet would do with music. I love Christmas music this time of year, so I asked Comet to play lo-fi Christmas music on Spotify.
This time, Comet failed with the error “The user has disconnected from Spotify.” I followed up with, “Can you play music on Spotify?” Comet went back to work, doing its best to make the connection. I watched it “think” through the steps of making the Spotify connection to play me some lo-fi Christmas (it’s a real thing, by the way).
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It continued trying for some time, having trouble loading Spotify in a tab. My guess is that the problem was that I hadn’t logged into Spotify via Comet. To get around that, I decided to skip the Spotify constraint.
Guess what… Comet opened a Spotify tab with lo-fi Christmas tunes and a button labeled Open App. I tapped the button and Spotify opened to a Christmas lo-fi playlist.
Jingle bells! Comet found me a cool Christmas playlist.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Fun times
Of course, agentic AI can do much more than that, but I thought it would be best to check out tasks that the majority of users could relate to.
Also: I let ChatGPT Atlas do my Walmart shopping for me – here’s how the AI browser agent did
Usually, with browsers like this, I’ll install them, test them, and delete them. However, I’m feeling like Comet is going to hang around for some time, simply because I feel that it can level up my mobile browser usage. As someone who doesn’t use a browser on a phone with much regularity, Comet could very likely change that.
If having AI take over certain tasks for you sounds intriguing, install Comet today and see if you don’t come away feeling the same way I did.
