Edge Insider Dev and Canary builds get updates, add support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets

[The AchieVer]

Edge Insider Dev and Canary builds get updates, add support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets 

 

 

Microsoft’s move to rebuild its Edge web browser using Chromium hits another landmark today with the first Edge Insider Dev update. The releases place Edge both Dev and Canary at version 75.0.131.0, and although so far the Canary channel still hasn’t quite reached “nightly build” status, it’s a lot more frequent than Old Edge users are accustomed to seeing.

 

As for a changelog, that’s still in the works, but a couple of things to note with these latest builds. First, both Edge Insider Dev and Canary channels now contain support in preview form for WebVR/WebXR content for Windows Mixed Reality headsets:

 

                   

 

In addition, today’s release now allows for running Edge Insider on 32-bit machines with the Edge Canary channel.

 

If you have been waiting for 32-bit support to try out Edge Insider, there’s no reason to wait and you can download Edge Dev or Edge Canary channels from this Edge Insider download page. Remember too that you don’t have to choose between channels, either, as you can run Edge Insider Dev, Edge Insider Canary, and even the “old” EdgeHTML-based Edge side by side by side. And if you’re not sure if your Edge Insider build has been updated or not, you can quickly check:

 

 

 

So far, although it’s very early, Edge Insider (as we like to call it, nothing like having one name for multiple completely different products, eh Microsoft?) has been getting good reviews and seems to be fully functional for the most part, so if you’ve been hesitating, we recommend giving Edge Dev or Edge Canary (or both) a try. Worst case scenario, you just close the browser and go back to what you were using before!

 

 

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[The AchieVer]

Microsoft Edge 75 Dev Now Available for Download 

 

Microsoft has released the first update for the Dev build of its new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10.

 

Still in preview stage, Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 allows users to try out the Chromium browser before its public launch later this year, albeit specifics on the ETA aren’t available.

With today’s update, Microsoft Edge Dev reaches version 75.0.131.0, which at first glance seems to be quite a major jump from 74.1.96.24.

But in fact, by bringing Edge Dev to version 75, Microsoft finally brings its Dev and Canary builds to the same branch. The Canary version of the browser receives updates every day, while the Dev release is supposed to be updated once a week.Edge improvementsAs for what’s new in today’s release for the Dev branch, there’s not much you’re getting versus the previous version, and most of the improvements have previously been part of the Canary updates that we covered last week.

For example, Microsoft Edge Dev now supports media casting, but there’s a lot to be excited for judging from the changes that have recently been tested in Canary. For example, Microsoft is currently working on a dark mode for Microsoft Edge, but also on built-in translation and a spellchecking feature.

This slow progress isn’t necessarily bad news for Windows 10 users. Let’s not forget that the Chromium Microsoft Edge is still in preview development stage, so it makes sense for Microsoft to be more interested in experiments, rather than trying to focus on new capabilities delivered as fast as possible to users.

Microsoft claims preview versions of the new Edge for macOS and older Windows are also on their way, but no specifics are available at this point. However, with the Build developer conference taking place next month, we should all expect some Microsoft Edge news as well.

 

 

 

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[The AchieVer]

Try Out the Reader Mode in Microsoft’s New Edge Browser 

 

Reading modes in browsers aren’t necessarily a new thing, especially because the majority of apps currently have one.

 

However, as I reported earlier today, Google is only now in the process of developing a reader mode for Chrome, despite the fact that its app is currently the number one browser on both desktop and mobile.

Meanwhile, other popular browsers like Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari already come with such capabilities, and you can try it out in the latest version of each app.

As you probably know already, Microsoft is currently migrating Edge from EdgeHTML to Chromium, and one of the priorities is to also transition the full feature package, while also adding new capabilities.

The reading mode is one of the features that Microsoft wants its Chromium-based browser to have from the very beginning, and while it wasn’t implemented in the original preview version shipped to Windows 10 device, it’s now available for testing with a little trick.

First of all, what’s the reading view? As Microsoft itself explains, this particular feature is supposed to make the reading of articles and text you find online a distraction-free experience, as all the unnecessary content, including ads that is, is automatically blocked from loading. The company explains the following when describing reading view for the original Microsoft Edge:

“For a clean and simple layout with fewer distractions, select Reading view in the address bar. You can even change the reading view style (light, medium, or dark) and font size to find what's most comfortable for you—click anywhere on the page and select Text options.”

 

 

 

Right now, reading view is a work in progress in the new Chromium Microsoft Edge, but as TechDowsnoticed, you can actually enable it easily with just a few clicks.

This tutorial was tested in Microsoft Edge Canary, so update the browser to the latest version and then launch the flags screen by typing the following command in the address bar:

edge://flags

Now search for the following flag in the same screen of Microsoft Edge:

Microsoft Edge Reading View

This option ships as Default in Microsoft Edge, so you need to click the drop-down menu and switch it to Enabled. Afterwards, a browser reboot is required.

Once reading mode is enabled in Microsoft Edge, you can basically head over to any news article like this one (simply refresh the page), and you should see a small box icon in the address bar of Microsoft Edge. Clicking it instantly opens the reading view mode within the browser and lets you read the article distraction-free.
 

 

Needless to say, it’s important to keep in mind that this feature is still part of Microsoft Edge preview, so it could take a while until it makes its way to the beta and stable builds. This should happen later this year as the work on Microsoft Edge advances and more features are refined and prepared for production devices.

The reading view will be a feature offered to all devices regardless of the platform they run. The Chromium-powered Microsoft Edge will also support older Windows and macOS.

I expect Microsoft to enable the reading view by default in Microsoft Edge when the browser is ready, and the only reason it’s hidden in the advanced flags screen right now is that it’s still a feature that’s under development. There’s no ETA as to when it could become available for more users, but in the meantime, you’re free to try it out by just downloading Microsoft Edge Canary on your Windows 10 device right now.

 

 

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Already loving Edge Chrome.
Super light, super fast.