If you’re using the default browser that came with your device, you may want to think twice. You have a ton of options at your fingertips, but not all of them are created equally. Is your browser running super slow? Tap or click here for simple ways to speed up your browser. As you know, technology advances all the time. The browser you may have overlooked last month could be offering some awesome new features this month after an update. That’s precisely what just happened with Microsoft Edge — and the new features make it a great choice for PCs. Let’s take a look at the new upgrades Edge just got.
Changes to Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is one of those browsers that tends to get lost in the shuffle. It doesn’t have the same die-hard following as Mozilla Firefox or some other browsers, though it isn’t an obscure option, either. In the past, it offered just enough features to make it slightly competitive, but you’d have to use third-party extensions to get the upgrades you wanted to make it a really good browser. That’s no longer the case, though. Edge, which is built on Chromium — that’s the tech behind the Chrome browser — is getting some major upgrades. These new features include price comparisons and a scrolling screenshot tool that allows you to take a photo of an entire webpage — and may end up being the reason you finally switch to Edge.
New price comparison tool
Edge is getting a new price comparison tool — just in time for the holiday season. Gone are the days of opening multiple tabs to price check while shopping. Microsoft added a feature called price comparison that helps you find the best price while shopping online. This feature has already rolled out, and you can use it to compare prices of products you’re shopping for with a single click. To use it, just add a product to a Collection and then click “compare price to other retailers.” This pulls up a price list from other retailers for that particular item. You’ll also get direct links to the other retailer pages so you can buy the one you choose (presumably with the best price).
Get Bing rebates
Another feature that rolled out is Bing Rebates which lets you earn cashback while shopping. It’s currently live for Edge users in the U.S., so you can take advantage of it now while shopping for the holiday season. This feature works by giving you deals from search results pages. If you search for a particular item, product, or category, you’ll see, along with regular search results, Bing Rebate offers. You’ll have to be signed up to receive cashback, but once your account is ready to go, you can use those Bing Rebate offers to earn cash. You can also explore an aggregated list of deals on the Rebates offers page. What’s awesome about this new feature is that getting Bing Rebates on purchases is easy. All you have to do is sign in to Microsoft Rewards and search for a product like you normally would. If you find a Bing Rebate deal, just click on a search result with a cashback offer. You’ll see confirmation about a Bing Rebates offer being activated. Once you complete a cashback-eligible purchase, you will receive a confirmation email within two to three days about the money you earned. If the merchant confirms your purchase, you can transfer the cash you earned via PayPal in 90 days. This process would have required a third-party extension to complete prior to this update, so this feature is a great addition to the Edge toolbox.
New Collections + Pinterest
If you’re a Pinterest user who likes to save information on products, webpages, images, or text, we have good news. This update includes a new Collections + Pinterest feature that lets you hold onto this type of information and organize it to access or share it with others. This feature is a great way to keep track of holiday shopping lists, recipes and other info that you need to share or refer back to. When you enable this feature, you’ll see suggested Pins related to your collection at the bottom of the Collections pane. You can add these suggestions to your existing collection or export your collection to create a new board on Pinterest.
Rewards points with Bing
One of the more unusual features to roll out with this update is the expansion of Give with Bing. Bing is the default search engine for Edge, so if you’re using Edge, this pertains to you. The Give with Bing program was launched earlier this year to help you make a difference without having to open your wallet. You can use points earned with your Microsoft Rewards account to automatically donate to causes you care about. With money tight for a lot of households due to the pandemic, this is a great way to donate. There are 1.4 million non-profit organizations you can donate to through this feature, so there are bound to be plenty of meaningful choices in there for you to pick from. You can get started with Give Big now if you want to use this feature to spread some cheer to a few non-profits this holiday season. RELATED: Browser security settings you need to check now
Reasons people are switching to Edge
These new features are a huge selling point for Edge, but there are a ton of other reasons to make the switch, too. If you’re a PC user, Edge performs better on PCs than Chrome does, so you should take that fact into account when deciding on a browser. That’s due, in part to the fact that Edge is able to take advantage of its deep integration within Windows. It’s extremely fast, too — and has even outperformed Chrome in some speed tests. Plus, Bing, the search engine for Edge, integrates a ton of features like autofill to help streamline your web experience. Edge is also extremely secure — especially compared to other browsers. That’s important right now for many reasons, not the least of which is the influx of phishing and malware scams that keep popping up. Edge can help cut down on those risks and is surprisingly more secure than Chrome and Firefox. Plus Edge offers better protection against phishing and malware attacks on Windows 10. You’ll also get additional privacy features like tracking prevention, InPrivate Search and family safety controls with Edge and Bing. Even if you love the browser you’ve been using forever it’s worth giving Edge a try. If it doesn’t live up to the hype you can easily go back to your browser of choice. What do you have to lose?
