Microsoft Edge: The Dawn Of A More Personal Web Browsing Era

 

In an age of personalisation and simplification, why would you want your web browsing experience to be any different? This question was at the heart of our decision to create Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Edge is a Web browser that shifts from enabling the first steps into the wonderful World Wide Web, to connecting online and offline worlds seamlessly, with exciting new features like the Web Note. Be one of the first to experience Microsoft Edge by downloading the recently launched Windows 10.
We are most excited about Web Note as one of the key features of Microsoft Edge. It’s the only browser that lets you take notes, write, doodle and highlight directly on web pages – changing the way you interact with the web and develop, share and collect content. We wanted to bring your experience online back to the way you would do things offline – like jotting down notes on a page and sharing them with your friends.
Web Note does just this by allowing you to use your finger or a stylus to draw right on a web page and then share it with others or save it for yourself. Whether you add notes to a recipe, annotate research papers or adjust pictures and add funny captions – the possibilities are endless.
This develops on our original vision for Internet Explorer. Since its launch in 1995, Internet Explorer has found new ways for users to enjoy “The Web the way you want it”. From starting off as an add-on to Windows 95, to increasing support for various plug-ins and improving on privacy and security, Microsoft’s goal has been to offer a simple, easy Web experience.
Now, 20 years later, that experience means something quite different. It’s about how you interact with the Web – how you share, create and collect content that’s relevant to you.
Microsoft Edge is our answer to the new age of web browsing. We’ve taken what we’ve learned over the past two decades, along with the best parts of Internet Explorer, and created a completely new user interface.
What does that mean for you? The way you experience the web is now in line with the way you experience the Windows 10 operating system – it’s simple and personalised. On the surface, its minimalist design allows for ease of navigation that is responsive and streamlined so you can focus on the content that matters to you.
But beyond that, we looked at how you share and save content across the Web, and how you communicate with others. We discovered that it tends to be a labour intensive process, and not at all direct or personal – which is a problem considering you spend more than 50% your time in your browser. Features like Web Note help with this by allowing you to share, read, research and get things done more easily.
The process of creating Web Note is a completely new experience for Microsoft, and the possibilities are endless. But these changes to the world of Web browsing are just the beginning as we work towards software with better interoperability, security, reliability and performance.
Other new features include Reading View, which gives you a PDF-like version of the article you want to read without any additional formatting or clutter, and Reading List, which allows you to save web pages for later reading, like an advanced favourites list. The Hub is the place where all your content and browsing history is kept, while the address bar becomes a search bar so you no longer need to visit a website to start searching.
Microsoft Edge is an all-new browser designed to get things done online in new ways, creating a simple, personal, easy and fun experience. Be part of the revolution by downloading Windows 10.
Rotimi Olumide, is the Business Group Director, Windows Division at Microsoft