14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has already rebooted its browser efforts with the demise of the classic Edge version and the introduction of a Chromium-powered version, but now the company is apparently planning to overhaul the project once again.
A new effort called Phoenix envisions what looks to be an attempt to integrate Microsoft Edge more deeply into the Windows experience.
Twitter user WalkingCat, who has a solid track on Windows scoops, says Phoenix was born as an imaginary version of Edge, whose purpose was to collect feedback from company employees and eventually pave the way for a massive overhaul of the browser.
As part of this project, Microsoft was experimenting with several new ideas, including the split-screen feature that was spotted recently and which allows users to load two websites side by side.
WalkingCat says this was the most liked feature of the project, so it’s no surprise that it’s now making its way to Edge.
But according to WindowsCentral, Microsoft’s efforts aimed at overhauling the browser do not stop here. The company also wants Microsoft Edge to feature as a more native part of Windows, so Microsoft is also pondering turning the browser into a password manager available system-wide.
Edge also comes with built-in password managing options, but it could eventually be promoted to a fully featured password manager for the entire operating system. Furthermore, the OOBE experience could be updated to also include Edge, so users would be allowed to configure the browser when setting up the operating system as well.
Microsoft has so far remained tight-lipped on this planned overhaul of Edge, but it’s already happening in stages. Sooner or later, however, the company hopes Edge would feel different from the other Chromium-powered browsers on the market and become a more integral part of the Windows experience, therefore stopping the migration to Google Chrome.