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ZDNET Highlights
- Mobile Edge is adopting many AI skills from the desktop version.
- You can ask for a summary of several open tabs and your history.
- You can also ask Copilot to create podcasts and quizzes from web pages.
My favorite mobile browser on my iPhone is Safari. On my Android phone, it’s Google Chrome. But now another browser is competing for the first place on my mobile devices. And that is Microsoft Edge. Why? The latest version of Mobile Edge more tightly integrates AI, helping it gather information and answer questions across multiple tabs at once.
Before we get into the details, know that I’m definitely not a fan of AI or Copilot. I’ve criticized Microsoft’s strong strategy of pushing Copilot into every corner of its many products and services. And we all know that generative AI is inherently wrong. But when done right, AI can be a helpful tool. That’s why lately I’ve been turning to Edge on my iPhone and Android phones for specific types of searches.
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Now for the details. As described in A new blog post By Sean Lindsay, VP of Edge Product, Edge for mobile has adopted many AI-powered skills previously found only in its desktop counterpart. Plus, there are some new features in both mobile and desktop flavors.
1. Create a summary of multiple tabs
In mobile Edge, you can now ask CoPilot to summarize or answer questions about multiple tabs, as you can in the desktop version. This means there is no need to jump from one tab to another to summarize each one separately.
To try it out, first make sure you’ve updated Edge on your Apple or Android device so that you’re running version 148 or higher. Start the browser. As you research a particular topic, you’ll likely open multiple tabs on it. On the new tab page, tap the CoPilot icon at the beginning of the search bar, then type or speak your question or request, such as “Summarize information in open tabs.” Copilot analyzes the content of all open pages and then generates its response.
2. Travel through previous searches
In a feature called Journeys, mobile Edge will now keep track of topics you’ve discovered through past searches, just like the desktop version. The latest topic appears on a new tab page for easy access so you can pick up where you left off.
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To set this up, go to Settings in Mobile Edge, then tap Copilot & AI settings. Select the option for Copilot New Tab Page and turn on the switches to enable Copilot New Tab Page and enable Journeys. After you’ve run a few searches and checked out different pages, Edge will eventually turn your browsing journey into a summary that appears on the new tab page. Select a specific journey to continue exploring that topic.
3. Access the New Tab Page
Like the desktop version, Mobile Edge has a streamlined new tab page with more useful content. From the page, you can run a traditional search or submit a question or request to Copilot. You’ll see icons of some web pages so you can visit them again. Tap the Add button to add more pages and even built-in features to the list. You can also delete any icon by long-pressing it and tapping the And then there is a summary of the previous website visit.
4. Tap on your browsing history
In a new feature in both desktop and mobile versions of Edge, CoPilot can remember your browsing history and tap on it to continue a conversation. Simply ask the AI ​​to discuss the topic you were browsing earlier, and it should review your history and reference your previous chats to provide updated information.
5. Turn Pages into a Podcast
Here’s another AI skill in Edge that has expanded from desktop to mobile. You can now ask Copilot to create a podcast of your current web page or all open tabs. At the CoPilot prompt, simply type or ask to create a podcast. Wait a few minutes for the podcast to be generated. Once it’s ready, just tap the Listen button to start it. From there, you can stop and move forward or go back 10 seconds.
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6. Solve an interactive quiz
With the new Study & Learn mode in Edge for desktop and mobile, you can ask CoPilot to break complex topics into study sessions or interactive quizzes. For this, simply open a web page on a difficult topic. At the CoPilot prompt, type “Quest me on this topic.” The AI ​​generates a short multiple choice quiz to challenge you.
many more tricks
Copilot has a few other tricks up its sleeve, too. Edge for desktop and mobile now offers a new AI-powered assistant that can help you select the right words. Using Copilot Vision, you can now share your current screen on mobile just like you do on desktop and then ask the AI ​​questions about the content.
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In the past, I never used Mobile Edge much because Safari and Chrome always seemed more convenient and accessible. But with these new Copilot skills, I’ll definitely be turning to Edge more often, especially when I’m looking for information that the AI ​​can help with.
