Known for cutting edge technological innovation, Microsoft is always coming up with something new. In January 2020 the company released its new Edge browser. This is a spin off of Chromium, which is an open-source program. Microsoft Edge is very much like the predecessor, Chrome, and in fact supports the Chrome browser extension and has the same rendering engine.
The next step is for automatic updates of Windows 10 with the new product, Edge. Similar to the updates for Chrome, Edge will be updated every six weeks. If you don’t want to wait for the update, you can download Edge from Microsoft’s website. The old Edge, now named Legacy, will still be in the system. The logo for the new version of Edge is a blue and green swirl as opposed to the Legacy blue E.
What if you don’t want Edge? If this is the case, you need to go to the Microsoft website and download the Chromium Edge update blocker toolkit.
However, Windows 10 users will automatically get this new browser that promises an open-source rendering engine, more frequent updates, and better support from websites. Bing is also encouraging Chrome users to use Edge. Further, Microsoft is initiating a campaign proposing Edge rather than Mozilla’s Firefox.
History sync and extension sync are not implemented but promised for a later release. You’ll still find favorites, settings, passwords, and so on. New features include Collections which will let you gather images and material but prevent tracking. In addition, new Edge will support 4K Netflix with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, all of which is an improvement over Chrome.
Edge also includes three different blocking levels with the default blocking trackers from sites you have not yet loaded. More track blockers could also result in failure to load all or a part of some sites you want to see. Microsoft is banking on the fact that most users will prefer the privacy of the blocks while still remaining web compatible.
These differences, plus some other features, have a lot of people looking to Edge as a viable Chrome alternative.
Speaking of compatibility, Edge for Windows 7 is also planned for release. Windows 7 is generally out of the support range, but Microsoft has committed its support for another year or so. Edge will work on Windows 8.1 and macOS, Android and iOS. Future plans include a version of Linux.
Another nice feature offered by Edge is vertical tabs. If you have a tendency to open lots and lots of tabs, it becomes difficult to read and easy to close the wrong one(s). Vertical tabs promise to be simpler to manage with only a single click.
Smart Copy will allow you to retain the format from the original material as you copy and paste it into your personal document. This will include images and links. So if you are prone to quote web text, you will enjoy this feature.
Password Monitor is designed to help prevent password theft. It will alert you to any attempt to gain access to your autofilled usernames and passwords. Edge will search for matches to your data and notify you of any potential problems. You can then proactively make the appropriate changes before problems occur and have more confidence in your usage.
Finally, the Immersive Reader feature is notable. This will be helpful for individuals with reading and learning differences. It will allow the user to adjust the text for easier readability and have the material read aloud. More updates on this feature are planned.
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