Edge Browser Extensions, Overhauled Maps App Arrive In Latest Windows 10 Insider Preview
Many users lamented the fact that Edge never shipped with extensions support, but Microsoft kept promising that they would arrive in due time. Now, after spilling the beans earlier this week, Edge General Manager Drew DeBruyne explains that Microsoft has put a lot of thought into extensions.
“We have built Microsoft Edge so customers can add extensions to the browser with the confidence that they will operate as expected,” DeBruyne explains. “Initially our Insiders will download and then sideload extensions for testing purposes, but ultimately we will make extensions available to all of our customers via the Windows Store to ensure the quality of the end-to-end experience.”
The first three extensions available to Windows Insiders include Mouse Gestures, Microsoft Translator and the reddit Enhancement Suite. As we delver deeper into 2016, you’ll see additional certified extensions from LastPass, Evernote and Amazon (among other popular developers).
But extensions aren’t the only addition with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14291. You can now pin tabs within Edge, and Edge supports ‘Paste and go’ when inserting URL into the address bar that have been copied to your clipboard. Microsoft has made some minor improvements to the Alarms & Clock app, and has completely overhauled the Maps app with “more lightweight, scalable, and consistent UI” and “underlying architecture improvements.”
Here’s the full rundown of changes/enhancements to the Maps app for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile:
- One-tap access to search and directions from anywhere, even on your phone. This is great especially for one-handed use.
- You can view multiple searches and directions at the same time, on the same map as they are layered on top of each other and you can use tabs or the map to switch between them.
- You can now minimize search results, directions, and location info to enjoy more of the map, while keeping them in easy reach.
- You can see labels for your search results directly on the map. No more numbers to match between the map and the list.
- Cortana will give you turn-by-turn directions (if Cortana is enabled).
- We have improved the logic for nearby searches so you should see better (closer) results.
- We have added the ability to search for your favorite city in the 3D cities list so no more scrolling forever to get to the city you want.
- You can now access your favorites offline and add notes to them.
- We have updated the turn-by-turn design to improve glanceability and landscape layout.
Last, but not least, Microsoft revealed a new Feedback Hub, which combines the previous Insider Hub with the Windows Feedback app. Supporting both the PC and smartphone platforms, the Feedback Hub has been designed to prevent a more streamlined way for testers to communicate issues/concerns with Microsoft engineers.
“When you submit new feedback to us, we have added a new description field so you can explain in more detail the feedback you are sending to us,” writes Gabe Aul. “The most helpful feedback for us includes a brief title that summarizes your feedback, then you can use the new description field to provide more detail, for example: the steps that an engineer could take to recreate a problem, or more information about a feature suggestion.”
There are a slew of bug fixes and known issues with both the Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile versions of Insider Preview Build 14291. Be sure to check out this blog posting to see if the wealth of new features is worth a few regressions in stability.
