• Collections gets smarter and Microsoft Edge Family Safety comes to Android.
• Microsoft is building new web experiences for Edge, Bing and MSN.

Bengaluru: Microsoft’s Edge team is on a mission to redefine the way people browse the internet since launching the new version in January.

It has already become number two and edging up to rival Google Chrome.

According to Net Marketshare, Microsoft Edge has overtaken Firefox in March and increasing its grip till now, albeit at a slow pace.

In July, Edge is at number two to Chrome with 8.09 per cent of the desktop browser market while Firefox is now at number three with 7.36% market share. Chrome is still the leader with 71.11 per cent.

Both Edge and Chrome are based on same Chromium-based engine and Microsoft has shifted from its unpopular legacy version.

Many users are losing faith in Google and are looking for a more secure and private alternative due to its data collection as Google knows more about you than you might think.

Privacy has become a buzzword in the market.

Microsoft has been adding new features to the Edge continuously and building new web experiences for Microsoft Edge, Bing and MSN.

Due to the work-from-home and remote learning initiatives due to Covid-19, Microsoft has added AI as a service automating your online experience, or collaborate on projects across the globe with real-time video chat including translations, or you can comparison shop the latest trends and have the best prices and latest coupons automatically pop up in context.

Microsoft Edge’s Collections feature, which allows you to collect, organise and share content you find across the web, can automatically turn the saved pages into a Word document, through “Collections send to OneNote.”

Now you can send your collections in Microsoft Edge to OneNote in addition to Word and Excel.

“When you send your collections to OneNote, all your collected content retains the web formatting, so you get visual links and all your notes organized neatly. And if you missed the news, Collections is also now available on mobile so you can sync across your devices,” Microsoft said in its blog.

Safety: A tip priority for Miccrosoft

Online safety is very important is kids are spending more time at home and on their devices. Microsoft has created a family group by using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10, Xbox One and now on Android.

It gives more visibility into web habits with content filters and activity reports.

This gives me peace of mind to parents and helps the kids stay safe while exploring the web across any device.

When kids sign into Microsoft Edge on Android, as a member of a family group, you now get the same protection as you do on Windows 10 and Xbox One.

By using “Microsoft Family Safety” app on your phone, it gets activity reports on what websites your kids visit and the search terms they enter on their phone or tablet.

Parents can create customisable lists of allowed and blocked sites, so you can control the content your kids see in Microsoft Edge.

Kids can also ask you for permission to view a site directly from Microsoft Edge.

Another feature, Bing SafeSearch, is automatically set to strict for maximum protection and content filtering and Microsoft Edge also, automatically, block certain adult websites to help protect your kids from mature content.

InPrivate browsing is automatically blocked to help your kids stay safer while they use Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft has added – Picture Dictionary – to help students better understand unfamiliar words on a webpage by providing a picture representation of a word on any webpage to help increase comprehension.

It is ideal for those learning another language or for students learning on their own.

Many of us are working or doing schoolwork from home and finding ourselves reading a lot of PDF documents.

When opening a PDF in Microsoft Edge, Microsoft has now added the highlighter tool to the PDF toolbar, ideal for students as they head back to school and find themselves researching for book reports. There are five different colours to choose from to help you stay organized, and we are happy to say that PDF reader now supports screen readers as well.

Microsoft is only at the beginning and plans to add more new features throughout the year, so get hyped for all the action.

Will you be moving from Chrome to the Edge?