Microsoft Edge is getting a new feature designed to keep kids safe and also ensure they still have fun when browsing the web. Known as “Kids Mode,” the feature is currently in beta testing in the Canary and Dev channels of the Edge Insider program and brings customized themes, child-friendly content on the New Tab Page, and other web safety guardrails to the Microsoft web browser.
As the name of the feature suggests, Kids Mode in Microsoft Edge is all about kids themselves, but is also designed around the concerns that parents might have when trusting their children on a web browser. Kids Mode targets two age groups: five to eight, and nine to 12.
Kids Mode will work without the need for a child-specific Microsoft account or a Family Group created by an adult. It’ll be available via the profile picker in the top right corner of Microsoft Edge.
In Kids Mode, ads will also not be shown on Edge’s New Tab Page. Some other features of Kids Mode include kid-friendly articles and Bing SafeSearch, which is an allowed list that helps keep kids on friendly content. With this feature, adult text, images, and videos will be filtered from search results.
Microsoft says that since Kids Mode doesn’t require a child account, it is much easier for families with shared devices to get started with the browser. Of course, Kids Mode is protected, meaning it’ll require a device password to restart. It also defaults Tracking Prevention to Strict, in order to block trackers when browsing.
Since this feature is currently being beta tested, Microsoft is requesting feedback from those who are trying it out early on. It also isn’t quite yet finalized, so there could be more added to it over time. Accordingly, you won’t be seeing it on the “stable” version of the browser at the moment. As has been the case for Edge features like this in the past, it likely will be a few months before everyone sees it there.
Microsoft has made big gains with its new Edge browser, which was first introduced in January 2020. The browser is taking on Google Chrome, with new features added in each major release, and it recently surpassed Mozilla Firefox in popularity.
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.