On April 30th Microsoft is going to be pushing out a massive new update that will bring new timelines functionality and improvements to the ebook experience on Edge. This was initially billed as the Spring Creators Update, but it was renamed to the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. The naming convention was augmented because as the years go by, it will be a complete mess to always have seasonal updates.
Microsoft Edge is the web browser that always nags you to use or install. It is also the only way you can read ebooks from the Microsoft Bookstore. Edge is getting some small improvements, you can now click the audio icon to mute and unmute a tab that is playing sound. Books, PDFs and Reading View pages can go full-screen for a distraction-free reading experience. Finally, anyone needing a little help with reading can use the new Grammar Tools button to enable comprehension aids. Grammar Tools can break the words on the page into syllables, as well as highlight different parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Here are the highlight features, according to the latest Windows blog post:
- Timeline, a history of websites you’ve visited and documents you’ve used
- Focus Assist (formerly Quiet Hours), which does a better job of managing notifications
- Updates to the Edge browser, with now stores payment information and includes clutter-free printing
- Better dictation (Windows dictation was a feature that quietly debuted in the Fall Creators Update.)
- Microsoft has empowered the digital assistant Cortana to take command of users’ smart homes directly from their Windows 10 PC
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
