Screenshots: Microsoft Edge preview
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Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is the company’s new default web browser forrnWindows 10. Featuring completely new and modern rendering technologies whenrncompared to the old Internet Explorer, Edge will be superior is just aboutrnevery way a web browser can be.
As you’ll see in these images, Edge borrows heavily on the minimal design characteristics of other web browsers likernChrome. This is particularly important for Edge because it is designed to be arnprototype UniversalWindows Platform app.
In practical terms, that means Edge will adapt andrnrun on any device running Windows 10, whether it is a desktop computer, arnsmartphone, or something in between.
Reading Mode
The feature I’m most excited about is called thernReading Mode, which will strip away all of the excess navigation and, dare Irnsay it, advertising from an article, leaving only the text you actually want tornread behind.
Edge has standard features
From a pure display perspective, Edge looks a lotrnlike Chrome to me. Of course, Edge has standard features like Favorites.
Reading Lists
Edge also features Reading Lists, where yourn”favorite” a specific web page or article for reading later.
Reading Lists usefulness
For those of you who like apps like FlipBoard,rnReading Lists may provide you with an adequate built-in alternative.
History feature
As expected, there is a History feature.
Downloads feature
Also as expected, there is a Downloads feature.
Microsoft Edge control panel
Keeping with the minimalist theme, the controlrnpanel for Microsoft Edge is sparsely populated. Notice how the click area forrnthose few choices are rather large. This is part of the universal platformrndesign. On a smartphone, someone’s fat fingers are going to have to find a muchrnsmaller active button area.
Adding and subtracting Favorites
Adding and subtracting from your Favorites list andrnthe Favorites Bar is about as straightforward and familiar as it gets. I didrnfind it strange that my initial Favorites Bar was seeded with a link to Acer. Not sure why that happened.
How to try Microsoft Edge
You can try Microsoft Edge for yourself byrndownloading the preview version of Windows 10. As you try it out, you can sendrnyour feedback to Microsoft.
Developers Tools feature
Microsoft Edge is an extensible web browser likernChrome and Firefox. That means third-party developers can program add-ons,rnextensions, and other widgets for Edge. To make that easier, there’s arnDevelopers Tools feature.
Edge styling is minimalistic
This a fairly typical view of what the MicrosoftrnEdge browser looks like in a normal situation. As you can see, the styling isrnminimalistic and slips to the background, bringing the website to thernforeground, as it should be.
Edge's built-in annotation tools
Another typical normal situation, only this time wernare going to use Edge’s built-in annotation tools to emphasize our point.
Edge markup tools
The markup tools found in Edge allows you tornhighlight parts of a web page. I did my markups with a mouse, which is bitrnclunky, but I suspect this features works much better when you use a finger onrna touch display.
Edge notes
You can also make notes, either for yourself or tornshare with friends, or with colleagues in a business setting.
Share annotations
Once you are done with your annotations, you canrncut them out and share them.
Edge is much better than IE
From the user’s initial perspective, the MicrosoftrnEdge browser is nothing spectacular. It works like it’s supposed to and doesrnit well, so there’s very little to complain about. However, that is a bitrnmisleading, because the real power of Edge is what happens behind the userrninterface.
The underlying technologies incorporated into thernEdge browser mean that it will be more compatible, more secure, and morernextensible than the old Internet Explorer ever could hope to be.
The Reading View is a killer feature
For someone like me, who spends many hours readingrnarticles with a web browser, the ability to reduce the visual noise on a webrnpage with the Reading View is a killer feature. When Windows 10 is released, Irnjust may have to switch my default browser.
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