You can now browse and search the net on your laptop computers and hand-held devices — without an Internet connection. A brand new software developed by a Silicon Valley start-up, co-founded by Indian tech star Rakesh Mathur, makes that possible. What more, the service comes free.

Webaroo, the venture floated by Mathur along with fellow computer hotshots Bradley Husick and Beerud Sheth, formally launched the "Searchable, Offline Web" on Monday.

"At home or on the go, in the air or on vacation, users can now find the information they need, wherever they are," said Webaroo's CEO Mathur, who made a fortune during the dotcom boom by selling his hugely successful junglee.com to Amazon.

The Indian face of Webaroo is not restricted to Mathur and Sheth, both from IIT Bombay. Much of the work on the new software has been done by 50-odd software developers and mathematicians in India. The company has its offices in Seattle, Santa Clara, Mumbai and Delhi.

"As mobile use grows, consumers want to be able to do more with their mobile devices. Webaroo brings the power of web search to mobile devices with an innovative product that is truly ubiquitous and fast," says Mathur.

The Webaroo software features "web packs" on a variety of subjects such as news, sports and major global cities, including New York, London and Mumbai — each of which contains thousands of relevant web pages identified by its innovative algorithms. The company has tied up with computer maker Acer to bundle the new software on its laptop.