Ignite Microsoft Android Iosvenkateshneowin: A slide from Ignite session video shows that Microsoft is working to move Edge to a common codebase for the desktop, Android, and iOS versions later this year. To achieve this goal, Microsoft has been able to make significant changes in the underlying engine for faster rendering. The company also recently removed their reliance on third-party plugins from browsers like Flash and Silverlight by bundling them into their own built-in plugins. They are making a new JavaScript engine that will provide performance enhancements to web pages. Microsoft is also working to integrate more closely with Cortana by essentially allowing you to ask Cortana things from your web browser like you can using Siri on iPhone and Android phones.
Microsoft has also worked on making Edge faster when it comes to tab management and memory usage. The company has done some significant work on their F12 developer tools that will give you access to tools for debugging your code, viewing performance data, and other useful features. Edge can now also be used as an ebook reader similar to how Kindle readers are used. Microsoft is also building in functionality for making the browser read aloud your web pages for you. The company has also put a lot of effort into making Edge more touch friendly by putting in better support for touch-based interaction with the browser.
During their Ignite session, Microsoft was quick to say that Edge has all the features found in current browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox while adding some new features such as web note, favorites, and reading mode. One feature that hasn’t been talked about yet is integrations with Cortana and other services. The company says that they are working on building additional tools for developers to build applications using different programming languages including C, C++, C#, and JavaScript. Microsoft is also working on integrating Cortana directly into Edge to let you ask Cortana things directly from the browser without leaving the page or switching apps.
Microsoft is working hard to get developers interested in building applications for Edge by offering tools for building new extensions, web APIs, and tools for making add-ons. The company has also created a tool to convert existing Chrome extensions into Edge extensions. They said that they are looking forward to seeing what kinds of applications will be built using these tools.
The company has also opened up the camera and microphone APIs to give developers access to these sensors. The session talked a lot about how Edge is being designed to work with other Windows 10 applications using Cortana and Microsoft’s Office 365 suite. The company is also working on bringing the inking capabilities of their Surface tablets to Edge so you can draw notes directly on pages.
The company has also opened up Edge to support standards like CSS Grid Layout and WebAssembly. The session talked a lot about the Project Westminster initiative that is designed to make it easier for developers to reach out to multiple platforms without having to make changes to their code. Edge will soon be available in more than 25 languages and the company is working with partners like Amazon and Yahoo! so that you can use your web history from these services on other devices.
