Subj : Microsoft Edge teases the future via new collab tool and AutoPlay
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Apr 07 2023 05:15:03

Microsoft Edge teases the future via new collab tool and AutoPlay Blocking 
update

Date:
Fri, 07 Apr 2023 04:00:08 +0000

Description:
Workspaces finally launches its first public test for sharing groups of tab 
with some restrictions in place.

FULL STORY
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Several new features for Microsoft Edge are entering a public beta; all with 
the goal to improve user collaboration, transparency, and internet usability. 

 Originally announced back in October 2022 , Workspaces let people share a 
group of browser tabs with others. The tool will live in a new button in the 
top left corner of the Edge browser. Clicking it lets you create a Workspace 
window with an original name and color theme. From there, you collect 
whatever tabs you want, then select Share Workspaces in said button where you 
are given a hyperlink to share. Those recipients can continue adding to the 
tab group if they want to grow it even further before sending it back to you. 

Microsoft points out Workspaces is not browser screen sharing, nor does it 
share browser data" with others in a group. Confidential data like logins, 
cookies, [or] passwords will be not shared either, according to the 
announcement. All people see are the tabs. 

Before you open Edge to try out Workspaces, you first need to have a 
Microsoft account (obviously) as well as a recent version of the Edge browser 
on either PC or Mac. Be aware this is a limited preview so not everyone will 
get to try out the feature, but there are plans to expand to more users 
throughout "the next several months. Also, groups will be small as Workspaces 
is currently limited to five invitees. Out with the old; in with the new 

Moving on to the next major addition, you have the return of Autoplay 
Blocking with a new Block setting thatll stop all automatic media playback on 
websites. Previously with the Limit option , you were only allowed to stop 
autoplaying videos on sites youve visited before. There is a catch with this 
feature: Autoplay Blocking is restricted to the Canary Channel version of 
Microsoft Edge so youll need to install the other browser, and even then, 
only a handful can try it out. However, there are plans to expand user 
availability. 

Less restrictive is Browser Essentials, a stats panel that will be the future 
replacement for the Performance Hub. It provides details on key performance 
and safety features like Efficiency Mode, Sleeping Tabs, and SmartScreen 
scanning. For example, you can see how many websites Edge scanned to see if 
there was any malware lurking, as well as the number of dangerous downloads 
it blocked. 

Browser Essentials will be available on Edge 112, which is currently rolling 
out, according to the release schedule . If you dont yet have the update, 
Microsoft states you can join either the Canary or Dev channels of the 
Windows Insider Program to try out the tool. Youll know you have it if you 
see a heart icon in the toolbar. 

Because these are works in progress, the company is asking users to give 
their opinion on them. Each feature has its own method of providing feedback 
like hitting thumbs up or thumbs down in their respective menu. We did reach 
out to Microsoft to see when everything will officially launch. This story 
will be updated at a later time. TechRadar's best web browsers for 2023



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-edge-teases-the-future-via-new-collab
-tool-and-autoplay-blocking-update


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