14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is revamping Windows 10 from the ground up, so in addition to plenty of improvements, such as the addition of a modern Start menu, the company is offering a new browser that will completely replace Internet Explorer at some point in the future.
Baptized Microsoft Edge, the new browser will arrive as a universal app and will be launched on all Windows 10 devices, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs, so a similar browsing experience should be offered no matter if you’re working on a desktop or on the go.
The browser is already available in the existing builds of Windows 10 preview under the codename Project Spartan, and Microsoft now offers an in-depth look at this app with a video posted on YouTube.
Reading mode, Cortana, and more
Microsoft Edge comes with a long list of new features, but there’s no doubt that the star of the show is Cortana, Redmond’s personal assistant, which was previously available on Windows Phone only and will soon arrive on PCs too.
Cortana will be deeply integrated in Edge browser, so you can perform certain tasks, such as searching the web, with voice commands. This should come in very handy when multi-tasking, with Microsoft clearly putting the focus on productivity.
In addition to Cortana, there’ll also be a reading mode to easily read articles on websites, but also extension support that should allow users to expand the functionality of the app by adding new features.
Google Chrome extensions will also be supported, but they will require some minor tweaks to their original code. This feature will arrive in Edge browser at a later time, as more work is needed, so it won’t be available this summer, when Windows 10 reaches the market.
Microsoft Edge will be offered alongside Internet Explorer at first and will be the default browser in Windows 10, but it’s no secret that Microsoft wants to make it the only option at some point in the future.
