Porn Browser Heatseek Launches (yeah, porn browser)

Heatseek is a pornography focused browser that quietly launched today. The point of this software is to make porn browsing more efficient and more secure. The browser is available on Windows machines only, and is built on top of Internet Explorer.

They’ve clearly thought this through. Every feature is aimed at either making porn consumption easier or making it less likely that others will know what you are up to. I’ll walk through some of the features first and save my editorial for the end.

On the security side: Credentials are needed just to open the browser. Downloaded files are encrypted and viewable only through Heatseek. They do their best to eliminate popups, spyware and viruses. Finally, they’ve even included a panic button to shut down the application immediately.

On the ease-of-consumption side: Downloading of images and videos is assumed, and can be accomplished with a single click. As mentioned above, these files are encrypted and can only be opened within Heatseek. Downloaded files can be organized in, well, playlists, and can be dragged and dropped to reorganize. They’ve included a bookmark feature that allows users to quickly jump to their “favorite” scene (see last screenshot below).

Heatseek is also guaranteeing that their software contains no spyware.

The basic version of Heatseek is free, with a premium version available for a one time fee of $20. The main feature of the premium version is that it allows the user to unencrypt downloaded files and move them directly to the hard drive for use in other browsers and media players. The premium version also allows users to access “special content”.

The Heatseek team is making significant efforts to remain anonymous, although there is at least one tie to another browser startup – the Mozilla-based media browser Songbird. Rob Lord, the founder of Songbird, is also a shareholder and board member of Heatseek.

A note to would-be users: Many employers (and spouses) install monitoring software on computers that Heatseek will not bypass.



  1. woktiny says:

    /* no comment */

  2. Carl Trimble says:

    Finally!… I have waited… Nix that, My friend has waited for ever for this.

  3. Central Coast says:

    “A note to would-be users: Many employers (and spouses) install monitoring software on computers that Heatseek will not bypass.”
    So what’s the point then !?? 🙁

    😉

  4. James Hill says:

    How have I navigated the Internet for 12 years without this?

  5. chris c says:

    the porn industry seems like they listen to thier clients.

    Nice browser

  6. Dan says:

    And you can do everything on Heatseek one handed!

  7. rwilliams254 says:

    They need to get that recaction mouse associated with this!!!

  8. John Wofford says:

    #7: You hit the nail on the head with that! OOWW! That hurt!

  9. gquaglia says:

    Great idea! Too bad its windows only. I perticuarly like the “panic button” feature.

  10. TakeIT2 says:

    This is as pure an example of pandering as could be.

    I’m sure that panic button is the g-spot for the edgy types, suggesting they can do their browsing anywhere!

    Wow. it really puts the risk back in risque.

  11. Mike T says:

    You know — this is right in line with John’s PC Mag article about the “golden age” of the internet ending. Surely this is just one more sign of this

    We will never get porn and spam off the net as long as they get free publicity like this.

    More and more, I have to wonder if it is even worth paying for net access every month. All this technology and all this computing power and this is the best that we can do? Pathetic. Why don’t the porn mongers spend their time and efforts doing something that will benefit tech as a whole. Not benefit tech with a ‘ho.

    Mike T

  12. Angel H. Wong says:

    in a few months the browser will only display web pages loaded with spyware.

  13. Smartalix says:

    Mike,

    Who will finance it, you?

    The reason porn has driven the internet is because naked chicks is the only thing a man will consistently pay for.

    How many subscriber-paid sites do you belong to?

  14. Anon says:

    Porn was on the net before the net was the net. It’s not going anywhere. If anything, this is an honest attempt to sandbox itself and actually meet the needs of the consumers. Go figure.

  15. doug says:

    # 11 “We will never get porn and spam off the net as long as they get free publicity like this.”

    I would not conflate porn and spam. lots of people want porn, very few people want spam (only enough morons to click the links and keep the phishing scams going). we will never get rid of porn on the net just like we will never get rid of porn in photography, video, etc.

    the numbers are *ahem* slippery, but I remember hearing that more money is spent on porn than on tickets to professional sports events. it is big business – the major corporations that own cable and sattelite TV operations make huge sums from porn, as do hotel chains that dish out the in-room PPV.

    “Why don’t the porn mongers spend their time and efforts doing something that will benefit tech as a whole.”

    there’s no money in benefiting tech as a whole. there’s lots of money in porn. except for the porn stars themselves. then I understand a lot of the money goes to feed various drug habits.

  16. Thomas says:

    > there’s no money in benefiting tech as a whole. there’s
    > lots of money in porn.

    I’m not so sure about that. The porn industry has invested a tremendous amount of money on technology and specifically websites to handle special requirements such a very high traffic loads and security.

  17. doug says:

    #16 What I was thinking of is that there’s no money in technical improvements without a plan to monetize them. I dont doubt your point for one minute – porn sites have some advanced tech going.

  18. So I guess the launch was a big bust, In a good way 🙂

  19. GregAllen says:

    It’s not an idea I would have come up with but it sort of makes sense. What percentage of web usage is porn. Huge, right?

    I’m not sure what this browser does but if I were to design a “porn browser” it would be all about privacy, leaving no tracks for your wife/boss/network administrator to find.

  20. GregAllen says:

    Oh jeeze. Give me a time out. I somehow missed that part of the article saying exactly what I said. Sorry.

    As for the monitoring software… why CAN’T it be bypassed? I’d like to see a whole lot more software that detects that spyware crap… especially put on their by bosses.


0

Bad Behavior has blocked 12464 access attempts in the last 7 days.