Are you among those interested in testing out Microsoft’s latest rendition of the Edge web browser? If so, you might be happy to learn that the company won’t require you to be a member of the Windows Insider program — an initiative that allows Microsoft fans and developers to live on the bleeding edge via access to early releases of Windows 10 builds.
Kyle Alden, Edge project manager, confirmed on Reddit, via TechDows, that those interested in trying out the future of the company’s web-browsing experience will be able to do so via a separate download. It’s welcome news for those concerned they would need to run less stable builds of Windows to experience the latest iteration of Edge early.
Microsoft announced its plans to replace Edge’s in-house EdgeHTML with Google’s Blink engine, which will make the browser Chromium-based, in December of last year. As Google Chrome has continued to dominate worldwide browser market share, developers have focused their effort on ensuring that Google’s Blink engine is well supported. This leaves non-Chromium browsers with less than ideal, sub-optimized experiences that may even cause web pages to not function correctly.
While the decision for Edge to switch to Google’s Blink engine has been praised by some who believe that Microsoft’s web browser may have a fighting chance against Chrome, Mozilla has criticized the move. While Mozilla agrees that Microsoft’s move makes smart business sense, it also notes that the change will give “Google more ability to single-handedly decide what possibilities are available.” There is some concern that Google will have a monopoly over the World Wide Web.
For those looking forward to the change, placing the Blink engine behind Microsoft Edge means that there should be higher levels of compatibility with the modern web. Alden also mentioned a few months ago that the Edge team was focused on bringing Chrome Web Extension capability to the new browser, meaning those who switch won’t need to be concerned about leaving their favorite add-ons behind.
Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge web-browser is expected to launch in the first half of 2019, although Alden noted that Microsoft “can’t commit to a specific timing just yet.”
Updated February 6, 2019: Added source link to TechDows.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.