Goodbye Internet Explorer, hello Microsoft Edge

We already knew that Internet Explorer was being killed off by Microsoft to be replaced by a new internet browser to take on the increasingly popular Google Chrome.

We also knew a successor codenamed “Project Spartan” was on the way but what we didn’t know was what Microsoft would be officially calling their new web browser.

Microsoft has finally announced what they will be calling their new browser and it will be called Microsoft Edge.

This was announced at the Microsoft build conference, where they announced that Edge will be the default web browser that is built into Windows 10.

So what can we expect from Microsoft Edge? And how will it size up against Google Chrome? Here are some of the key new features Edge has to offer:

It’s all new – from a user’s perspective the browser is completely new and has a new user experience. So don’t just expect it to be a updated version of Internet Explorer with a slightly new look and feel.

No new versions or manual updates – Edge will be automatically kept up-to-date and there won’t be any other versions in later Windows systems. Edge will be updated through Windows updates.

It has Cortana support (Microsoft’s version of Siri) built-in – Cortana will continue to work directly from Windows 10, but the digital personal assistant will also be available in Edge too. This has been included because many people obviously use the internet to find answers and information so Edge allows you to summon Cortana in many ways.

It has a built-in reader, note-taking and sharing features –

• Read with no distractions – Edge will have a feature called Reading View, which lets you read articles without any ads or distractions around the page.
• Save articles – Edge allows you to save articles into what is called a “Reading List”, so you can save articles to read them later. Your Reading List also syncs across all devices so you can read it anywhere.
• Web Notes – Web Notes is a unique feature that allows you to add annotations at the top of the page. They are saved locally but can be synced across all devices and you can share them with other people too (even those who aren’t using Edge).

It's simple – Microsoft has designed Edge, solely focusing on simplicity and minimalism. Microsoft is aiming to give the best web browser user-experience in hopes to revive their once very popular browser.