Microsoft has said that it will soon update its Edge web browser in a big way. This update will have a brand-new interface based on Windows 11’s design language, as well as brand-new AI features made possible by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. You can use the new AI features at any time from the Edge Sidebar.
At Microsoft’s AI event, the new Edge browser was announced, and the company says that some users will get a “limited preview” right away. The new Edge works closely with the new Microsoft Bing, which can search the web and do other tasks using natural language and also has ChatGPT technologies.
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The Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is a web browser made by Microsoft. Different kinds of computers can use it. It came out for the first time in 2015 with Windows 10 and Xbox One. Later, it was ported to other platforms, like Android and iOS, macOS, older versions of Windows, and most recently, Linux, as a fork of Google’s Chromium open-source project.
It was made to take over for Internet Explorer (IE). Edge was first made with Microsoft’s own EdgeHTML browser engine and Chakra JavaScript engine. Late in 2018, it was announced that Edge would be completely redone as a Chromium-based browser with Blink and V8 engines.
The new Edge was released to the public in January 2020, and it came to Xbox platforms in 2021. Microsoft has stopped making security updates for the first browser, but Windows 11 still uses it by default.
Redesigned Microsoft Edge
Not too long ago, Microsoft Edge was never used by anyone. But Microsoft’s simple web browser is now more popular than Mozilla Firefox, thanks to a complete redesign, a switch to the Chromium engine, and the fact that it works on systems other than Windows. Microsoft Edge is getting a new look, which seems to be another big step for the browser that everyone used to hate.
Maybe it’s enough to bring down Google Chrome, the most popular web browser. You can now try out an exciting new version of Microsoft Edge through the Microsoft Edge Insider channels. It not only looks different but also has AI-powered Bing built into it.
Why You Should Try the All New Microsoft Edge?
Here are a few reasons why you should try the new Microsoft Edge browser instead of Google Chrome. They might help you decide to do so.
Better Performance
By putting the new edge and the old edge through tests side by side, it was found that Web browsers can take up a lot of time and space. We always tell people to buy a laptop with enough RAM because of this. After using the new Edge for a while, it seems a little faster than the version you’re currently using.
Even though it’s not really noticeable, sites like Twitter that have a lot of media seemed to load faster. With five tabs open in both browsers, the new Edge used 118.628KB of memory by itself. In the latest version of Edge, the same tabs took up 147,040KB of memory. Even though it’s not much, at least there’s something going on here.
A Personal Assistant
Cortana was supposed to be Microsoft’s version of Siri and Google Assistant, but it didn’t work as well. Even though it sounds crazy, the new Microsoft Edge is just like Cortana all over again, thanks to Bing and the new AI features. It’s one of the most personal web browsers ever made, and it feels like a personal assistant.
Integration with Bing
When Chrome first came out, it was very popular because of the Omnibar, which put the URL and search bar in one place and made it easier to use Google search. Microsoft did the same thing with the new AI-powered Bing on the new Edge browser.
Now, Microsoft has taken Bing’s power out of the URL bar and put it in the center of attention. When you click on the Bing icon in the top left corner of your browser, you’ll get quick information about the page you’re on and be able to quickly write, ask questions about, or generate text for emails and blog posts, even in different tones.
Nearly 1 million people have already signed up for it. And that’s on top of the regular chat features, which let you ask more complicated questions, like about space telescopes, something that many people have said even Google’s new AI has trouble doing.
You can do all of this without leaving the page you’re on, which saves a lot of time. It’s much better than having to type questions into the Chrome Omnibar and then forgetting what you were doing.
Different from Google Chrome
Even though Microsoft has added some custom touches to Edge to make it feel different from Chrome, it has always been annoying how similar they feel in small ways, like the menu bar. The profile icon is where it is in Chrome: right next to the main menu button. The new rounded corners look nice, but they also make Edge feel more like Chrome.
Well, Microsoft moved that to the top right corner of the new Edge, which feels much more natural. It’s not as big of a change as the rounded corners, but it makes a lot more sense because we read from left to right in English. It’s where people’s eyes go. People who pay a lot of attention to small details will notice that this small change makes a big difference in how things look.
Designs That Match Between Windows Hardware and Software
At Microsoft, the same person is in charge of both hardware and software, like Windows. Surface was thought up by Panos Panay. He has been working lately to make Windows software work with Surface and other PC hardware.
We’ve seen this with the redesigned core system apps in Windows 11 22H2, like Task Manager, and with small things like the volume slider. Even though he doesn’t have direct control over it, the new Microsoft Edge is the latest step towards making hardware and software work together in a way that makes Windows so great to use in 2023.
This new Edge browser has rounded corners. This is clear from the way the new tab bars float instead of being attached to the URL bar. There is also the way Edge shows pages. This part is now filled in for you by Edge.
Conclusion
Users can use the AI sidebar to send messages, emails, and posts on social media based on criteria they set. For example, you could use it to post about a sale on LinkedIn or Twitter and have the browser write it for you, which is quite crazy. To get to the limited preview, you will need Microsoft Edge Dev. Still, because the preview is limited, you might not see these new features right away.
