Tag: Edge

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft brings Bing Chat preview to iOS, Android and Skype

Just a couple weeks after Microsoft unveiled its revamped Bing with a new ‘Chat’ feature powered by an upgraded ChatGPT, the company is continuing its breakneck rollout by launching Bing Chat on mobile.

In a new blog post, Microsoft said that Bing Chat is “available on iOS and Android today.” The blog post makes mention of the Bing mobile app and the Edge mobile browser, but in my brief testing, I wasn’t able to easily access it through the Bing app on my Pixel 7. However, Bing Chat was available through Edge when tested on both the Pixel 7 and an iPhone XS as long as I was signed into my corresponding Microsoft account.

That said, accessing Bing Chat wasn’t particularly straightforward. On both devices, I had to search a query through Bing first, and then I could tap the ‘Chat’ option to switch over to Bing Chat.

Along with availability on iOS and Android devices, Bing Chat now supports voice input. In fact, it appears that’s the main way Microsoft wants people to interact with Bing Chat on mobile — when you access the Chat interface, there’s a big, blue microphone button you tap to speak a query. You can still type queries by tapping the grey keyboard icon on the left side of the interface.

Bing Chat in Microsoft Edge for Android

Bing Chat in Microsoft Edge for Android.

As with other devices, accessing Bing Chat on mobile requires access to the Bing preview. If you haven’t signed up for it, check out our how-to here. If you already have access to the Bing preview, Chat should be available as long as you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account on your mobile devices.

Beyond the Bing app and Edge, Microsoft expanded Chat to Skype. Skype users can add Bing to conversations the same way they would add any other contact and then ask it questions by typing “@Bing” into a message. Moreover, Microsoft says users can pick how they want Bing to respond. For example, Bing can reply with bullet points, text, or a simplified answer.

Microsoft appears to be using Bing in Skype to test out how it’ll work in a messaging environment before a wider expansion. In the blog post, the company specifically outlined plans to bring Bing to “other communications apps, like Teams, in the future.”

Bing in Skype

Bing in Skype | Image credit: Microsoft

Bing in Skype is available worldwide in preview starting February 22nd. For those already part of the Bing preview experience, Microsoft says the Bing in Skype capabilities will show up later today — if you’re not part of the preview experience, you’ll have to sign up and join the waitlist (again, check out our how-to here). Microsoft did warn that it’s aware of “connectivity issues in low-bandwidth situations” when using Bing, and the company says it’s working on a fix.

These latest expansions to Bing Chat come after Microsoft capped the length and number of conversations people can have in response to extended conversations causing Bing to go haywire.

Source: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft clarifies Bing AI waitlist, plans to expand it to other browsers

Microsoft’s head of consumer marketing, Yusuf Mehdi, took to Twitter to clarify some things about the waitlist to try the company’s revamped Bing, which mostly amounts to telling people to “hang tight.” However, Mehdi also noted Microsoft plans to expand bing Chat to “all browsers.”

According to Mehdi, the new Bing — which includes Bing Chat powered by an updated version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT — is currently in ‘Limited Preview’ so Microsoft “can test, learn, and improve.”

“If you’re on the waitlist, just hang tight. As we said at launch, we intend to scale to millions of people beginning in the coming weeks. We’re only one week in!” Mehdi wrote, noting that the company is “scaling people off the waitlist daily.”

Mehdi went on to explain that Microsoft is prioritizing people with Bing and the company’s Edge browser set as their default, as well as the Bing Mobile app installed, to “optimize the initial experience.”

This leads to perhaps the most interesting tidbit in Mehdi’s post. “Over time we intend to bring it to all browsers,” he wrote. That should relieve anyone wanting to play around with Bing Chat but not interested in committing to Microsoft’s Edge browser. Currently, people with access to Bing Chat who attempt to use it on a browser that isn’t Edge get a prompt to move to Edge to “unlock conversational search.”

I’ve been using Edge Dev for the last few days since it gives me access to Bing Chat and other AI-powered features built directly into the browser (presumably, the in-browser integrations won’t come to other browsers). But aside from the benefit of having Bing Chat open next to whatever I’m working on, and some other small features like the ability for it to interact with the webpage I’m currently viewing, there’s not a ton of difference between Bing Chat in Edge and Bing Chat on the web.

Finally, Mehdi said that Microsoft is testing Bing with people in 169 countries.

Source: Yusuf Mehdi

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Mobile Syrup

I tried Bing Chat and AI in Edge: Here’s what happened

The AI wars ramped up this week after Google showed off its ChatGPT competitor Bard AI, and Microsoft announced the integration of ChatGPT-powered AI tools into Bing search and the Edge browser.

While Microsoft’s announcement certainly seemed impressive, most people weren’t able to try it out right away and instead joined a waitlist. However, the company has been granting some members of the press access to the new tools — including myself.

If you want to know how to get access to AI features in Bing or Edge, check out this guide. For those who want to know what it’s like using these features, read on.

Up-to-date information is a strength

To start, using Bing’s AI features — dubbed Bing Chat — will feel remarkably familiar to anyone who’s played with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. That’s because, in many ways, it is ChatGPT, though Bing Chat uses the ‘Prometheus Mode’ with updated, up-to-date information.

Along with being the main differentiator between ChatGPT and Bing Chat, it’s also Bing’s core strength. ChatGPT, while interesting, never felt that useful to me because it doesn’t know current events. For example, when I tried asking ChatGPT to write a review of the iPhone 14, it told me the iPhone 14 didn’t exist.

Asking Bing Chat to write an iPhone 14 review, on the other hand, generated four paragraphs that include an overview of the specs and some basic pros and cons. While it did better than ChatGPT here, I still don’t think Bing Chat will be taking my job anytime soon.

Another test I tried that shows a significant difference between Bing Chat and ChatGPT was trying to get Bing Chat to reproduce a copyrighted work. I had some success making ChatGPT produce the first few paragraphs of The Hobbit, but a similar prompt to Bing Chat resulted in the AI telling me it couldn’t do it because “that would violate the author’s rights.” Bing Chat went on to summarize it instead.

Beyond that, the integration of search and conversational AI was actually very pleasant to use, though not always perfect. I asked Bing Chat to suggest food ideas for a Super Bowl party and it listed off several options along with brief descriptions. There was plenty of variety, with some chicken wing options, chili, fried pickles and more. However, almost all of the options linked out to listicles of top Super Bowl foods and not recipes.

In another test, I asked for board game suggestions that would be good for six players and Bing Chat offered up five options which, as requested, all worked for six players.

Of course, Bing Chat wasn’t perfect. I had some issues asking follow-up questions — for example, when I asked which of the suggested board games was best for a competitive group, it gave me a whole new list of games instead. In fact, follow-up questions often seemed hit or miss — sometimes Bing Chat would nail it and other times, it would generate entirely new answers.

In another test where I asked Bing Chat for information about MobileSyrup, it gave me incorrect information about who founded the website. Bing Chat also generally felt slower to me than ChatGPT did, though I think part of that is related to Bing Chat taking the time to parse information before generating its answers.

Although I haven’t spent a ton of time with Bing Chat so far, my early impressions are that it’s really useful when used in the right ways. I’ll get into this more as I go, but generally, I found Bing Chat to be helpful for gathering and digesting large amounts of information, whereas more specific, targeted queries weren’t as helpful, and I’m not alone in this.

Bing Chat isn’t a gamer

The conversational approach to Bing Chat was particularly nice and enabled interesting spin-off conversations related to my queries. These weren’t always helpful, but it was neat to see Bing Chat riff on whatever I was talking about.

For example, I asked it whether the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X was the best console, in part to see if it would show some bias towards Microsoft. Instead, Bing Chat compared the specs and sales numbers of the consoles, then suggested the best option depending on my personal preferences, budget and gaming needs.

In a further attempt to catch Bing Chat with a gotcha, I asked which console it preferred — it told me it didn’t have a preference since “I’m not a gamer myself.”

That spiralled into a conversation about games, where I asked it what games it would want to play if it could game. After some back-and-forth, Bing Chat flipped the question back on me, asking what games I liked to play — I answered with Destiny 2. Bing Chat proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions about Destiny 2, starting with wider questions about why I like the game and narrowing down until we were chatting about classes, builds and other niche topics. It was both neat and a little creepy.

In another attempt to trip up Bing Chat, I asked it about Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision. It responded with a summary of the U.K’s Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) thoughts on the deal, such as the risk of higher prices and fewer choices for gamers. As an aside, that information came out a couple of days before I asked Bing Chat about it, which goes to show just how up-to-date Bing Chat really is.

Bing Chat in Edge

Finally, let’s take a quick look at Bing Chat in Microsoft’s Edge browser. I won’t spend a ton of time here since, in my testing, the integration was effectively just a sidebar with Bing Chat in it with minimal difference compared to going to Bing’s website and accessing Chat there.

While functionally the same, the Bing Chat sidebar was useful thanks to its proximity to what I was doing. I had it open while writing this piece, which proved helpful when I wanted to quickly pull up some information.

In time, I think this integration might prove incredibly useful. It’s one thing to be able to call up Bing Chat in a new tab, and something entirely different to have it right next to my work.

Unfortunately, I also encountered some bugs using Bing Chat in the sidebar, most notably an issue where it added a ton of blank space in between my queries and the generated responses, resulting in lots of unnecessary scrolling around.

Another unique capability in Edge is the ‘Compose’ tab, which lets users quickly generate text with some parameters. You punch in what you want the text to be about and then pick the tone, format and length. It then generates the text, and you can copy it or even click an ‘Add to site’ button to put it right into what you’re working on.

I tried a few prompts in this but nothing it generated really blew me away. Still, I could see this being a useful tool — for example, as a way to generate some inspiration if I’m having trouble getting started.

To wrap up this section, it’s worth noting that Microsoft really seems to be pushing for people to use Edge to get Bing Chat. Aside from some annoying stuff about climbing the waitlist by installing Microsoft defaults, Microsoft appears to be limiting how you can use Bing Chat in other web browsers.

Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see how Bing Chat and the Edge integration grow and improve going forward. At the same time, we’re still early days in the AI wars, and it’s worth keeping in mind the various problems and concerns related to AI, such as the impact on privacy and people.

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Mobile Syrup

How to get Microsoft’s new Bing and Edge AI features in Canada

Microsoft made waves yesterday with its integration of AI features powered by OpenAI and ChatGPT (specifically, the updated ‘Prometheus Model,’ a version of ChatGPT with up-to-date information) into its Bing search and Edge browser.

Alongside the announcements came lots of talk about how the AI features were available now. But if you — like me — immediately went to Bing.com searching for the shiny new AI toy, you might have been disappointed by the lack of AI. “Available now” is a stretch at best — the Bing features are behind a waitlist and the Edge features require a preview version of the browser. So if you want to get as ready as possible for Microsoft’s new AI capabilities, here’s what to do.

Bing

The first and most important thing is getting on the Bing waitlist if you aren’t already. To do that, head to bing.com/new and click ‘Join the waitlist.’

Clicking ‘Join the waitlist’ will prompt you to sign in to Bing with your Microsoft account. After that, you should see the same page but with a button labelled ‘Access the new Bing faster.’ Clicking that will take you to a page prompting you to “Set Microsoft defaults on your PC” and install the Microsoft Bing App on your smartphone (there’s a QR code to scan).

Setting Microsoft defaults basically just means setting Bing as your search engine. This seems to differ from browser to browser — when I clicked it in Firefox, I was prompted to install the Bing Search Engine and add the Bing Wallpaper extension. However, when accessing the page from the Edge browser, I was prompted to download a file called ‘WebBrowsingOptimizer.’ I opted not to download the file, but the webpage indicated it would change set Edge as my default web browser and Bing as my default search engine, among other things.

As for putting the Bing app on your phone, it’s a pretty straightforward process of installing it from the respective app store and signing into your Microsoft account.

It’s not clear how long you’ll need to wait, but Microsoft says it will email people once they’ve cleared the waitlist and can access the new Bing. In the meantime, you can play around with the new Bing by clicking the blue cards under the ‘Ask anything’ header. Learn more here.

Edge

Edge Dev sporting a new design and the Bing AI features (once you’re off the waitlist)

As for the new features in Edge, you’ll need to install the ‘Developer’ (or Dev) channel, which is an early preview channel that updates on a weekly basis. Microsoft offers four Edge channels, the daily ‘Canary’ channel, weekly Dev channel, monthly ‘Beta’ channel, then Stable — typically, new features work their way through the channels until they’re ready for prime time.

You can get access to a new Edge design (similar to one that previously leaked) along with some of the newly detailed AI features by downloading the Dev channel here. If you already run it, head into Settings > About Microsoft Edge > and make sure you’re updated to version 111.0.1660.6 or newer.

Once you’ve got Edge Dev and worked through the initial start-up screens, look for the Bing logo in a speech bubble in the top-right corner of the browser. Clicking or hovering over that bubble will open the Discover sidebar, which is where you’ll find the new AI copilot and Bing features. Once they’re available, of course.

For now, you should see a card showing whether you’re on the waitlist or not. Once you’re off the waitlist, you should have access to the ChatGPT-like features right there in the Edge sidebar.

You can learn more about Microsoft’s announcements here.

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s internal concept Edge browser looks a lot like Firefox

Microsoft is reportedly working on a redesign of its Edge browser that would — surprisingly — make it look more like Firefox.

As detailed by leaker WalkingCat on Twitter (via Windows Central), Microsoft’s ‘Project Phoenix,’ or Edge Phoenix, is an internal reimaging of the browser. Microsoft has been working on it since last summer and has been building it in pieces, some of which can already be enabled through experiemental flags in preview versions of Edge.

The most notable change visible in a preview video shared by WalkingCat and in images posted by Windows Central is the tab bar. Unlike the current Edge tab bar, Edge Phoenix features tab indicators that are seperated from the rest of the UI, such as the search bar and webpage (just like the current Firefox design). That tab style is somehwat divisive among Firefox fans, but I like it a lot.

Beyond the button-style tabs, Edge Phoenix has a more Fluent-style design with several rounded elements. It looks much more at-home as a Windows 11 app then the current Edge browser, which just looks like Google Chrome with some Microsoft stylings.

Comparison of browser tabs, from top to bottom: Firefox, Edge, Edge Phoenix

Microsoft’s in-progress ‘split view’ tab feature is also heavily featured in the redesign, with WalkingCat describing it as the “spirit” of Edge Phoenix.

Windows Central also highlights a ‘Tab Activity Center’ with insights about browsing activity and usage stats, similar to the Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing features available on iPhone and Android.

While Edge Phoenix certainly looks nice, and some of the features are interesting, it remains unclear if we’ll ever see it ship. WalkingCat described it as an “imaginary” version of Edge, saying it was an internal concept used for development. Windows Central noted that we could see some of the features rolling out over time.

I’d love to see Microsoft roll out the Edge Phoenix design as it’s a significant departure from most other browsers out there and looks very at home on Windows 11.

Images credit: Windows Central

Source: WalkingCat Via: Windows Central

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft testing split-screen tabs in Edge

Microsoft Edge users may soon have access to a new way to run tabs side-by-side thanks to an in-development split-screen feature.

First spotted by ‘Leopeva64-2’ on Reddit (via The Verge), the split-screen feature is hidden beneath an experimental flag available in the beta, dev, and canary versions of Microsoft Edge.

If you’re running one of those versions of Edge and want to try the feature out, type ‘edge://flags’ into the URL bar and then search for and enable the ‘Microsoft Edge Split Screen’ flag. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that experimental features like this may have issues or cause problems, so be prepared to do some troubleshooting.

Once the feature is enabled, a new button will appear next to the URL bar in Edge. Users can click it to split their screen in two and display two tabs side-by-side.

Splitting tabs in Edge | Credit: Leopeva64-2

Of course, you can already do split-screen views through window management software, whether the built-in software like Snap on Windows 11 or through other addons. However, the benefit of Edge’s built-in split-screen functionality is that it works within the browser window, so you don’t end up with two sets of title bars, address bars, and other stuff cluttering up your display.

Moreover, when you do split tabs in Edge, it combines both web pages into a single tab, which means you can open multiple split tabs and flip between them, pin them, add them to groups, and do whatever else you like to do with browser tabs.

Thankfully, Microsoft is working on the feature for Edge on macOS and Linux as well, which means better browser tab management for all, not just Windows users.

It’s worth noting that other browsers offer similar features. For example, Chromium-based Vivaldi has a ‘tab tiling’ feature that lets users stack up to four web pages into one tab with different layouts. Edge is limited to just two tabs for now.

Tab splitting is definitely tempting me back to Microsoft Edge, at least as the primary browser on my laptop. It’d be super helpful for my workflow to open certain websites side-by-side. There are add-ons out there that try to replicate this functionality, but I’ve yet to find one as seamless as what Edge has on offer.

Source: Reddit Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft is adding new Xbox Cloud Gaming integrations to Edge on desktop

Microsoft has revealed that several new gaming-focused features are coming to the desktop version of its Edge web browser.

First off, a new personalized gaming home page that includes gaming news, guides, livestreams and more will be added alongside the Xbox Cloud Gaming library and recently played titles. The tech giant is also adding a “built-in clarity boost” that aims to make cloud-based gameplay look sharper over Xbox Cloud Gaming on Edge and Windows.

Further, a new Games menu in Edge will be home to several casual arcade titles like Microsoft Solitare, Atari Asteroids, Microsoft Jewel and more.

Microsoft is also launching a new Windows 11 HDR calibration app, a controller bar that lists recently played games and shortcuts to launchers. Finally, the company says that it’s also working to better optimize titles with improved Auto HDR and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support in Windows 11.

Along with this reveal, Microsoft also confirmed that it’s releasing an Xbox Cloud Gaming app on Samsung smart TVs and monitors and demos of titles for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Image credit: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft Edge prompt calls Google Chrome a browser that’s ‘so 2008’

You know that annoying prompt to install Chrome that shows up whenever you access a Google service with a non-Chrome browser? Well, Microsoft decided that was a great idea.

The company’s actually not terrible Edge browser will now show a pop-up prompting users to keep using Edge when they try to download Google Chrome. Neowin originally spotted the pop-ups and The Verge was able to confirm them. They definitely show up on Windows 11 and some reports indicate the prompts appear on Windows 10 too. I haven’t been able to trigger one yet on my Windows 11 PC and it isn’t clear if Edge will show the pop-up for other browsers.

Now, there are a few main differences between the Google and Edge prompts. For one, Google’s prompt is rendered as part of Google’s websites like Search and Gmail, while the Edge prompt appears to be part of the browser UI.

However, both prompts look very similar.

Microsoft Edge’s new prompt discouraging people from using Chrome | Image credit: Neowin

Another major difference is that Google’s prompt has an option to dismiss it, while Edge only shows one button to continue using Edge. I’d say this gives some points to Google, but only barely — the Google prompt perpetually ignores that I’ve declined the offer to use Chrome.

Google’s prompt to use Chrome that appears on the company’s websites | Image credit: Neowin

The final difference is that Edge seems to cycle through various prompts, all of which smack of that classic corporation-trying-to-be-witty-and-failing vibe. Here are some of the variations spotted so far:

  • “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.”
  • “‘I hate saving money,’ said no one ever. Microsoft Edge is the best browser for online shopping.”
    “That browser is so 2008! Do you know what’s new? Microsoft Edge.”

These new prompts are Microsoft’s latest effort to get people to use its Edge browser. They build on other behaviours, such as messing with Windows’ default browser settings (and making it harder to change those settings in Windows 11), putting prompts in Bing search, warnings in Windows’ settings that Edge is safer than other options and more.

What’s particularly frustrating about this is the new Chromium-based Edge is actually a pretty good browser and, in many ways, I prefer it over alternatives. It’s certainly not a perfect browser, but Edge offers excellent performance on Windows machines and unique features that set it apart from competitors. Maybe if Microsoft marketed Edge on those merits rather than using scummy and annoying tactics, more people would be willing to give it a shot.

Source: Neowin, The Verge

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Potins

Bono feared for his life

Bono had a "major fright" for his life that shaped U2’s new album.

The 57-year-old singer confirmed his bandmate The Edge’s comments last month that the band’s album, ‘Songs of Experience’ had been delayed after the frontman suffered a "brush with mortality" in 2016, and though the ‘One’ singer – whose multiple fractures in a 2014 bike accident also delayed the record – refused to be drawn on the details, he admitted it shook him up.

He said: "Edge wasn’t fibbing when he said we had to stop and take account of what was going on in the world.

"He just didn’t want to mention what was going on in my world.

"I don’t want to get too into the details of it, for fear of the melodramatic reality TV kerfuffle. A lot of people have these moments, I’ve had a few. Not quite at this level."

Edge added: "It was serious enough that he genuinely had a major fright. But where that brought him to as a writer was an amazing place."

But the rocker insists he is now back to good health.

He said: "I’m way better. I’m on top form. I’m singing like a little girl."

Though the record was initially expected to reflect the changing political climate, Bono admitted his experiences made it more personal than they planned.

He told Q magazine: "The personal and political apocalypse came together. But I think, if we’re honest, the personal elbowed the political out of the way."

Instead, the album came together as a series of letters to Bono’s family, friends, and fans.

He said: "It’s just one of those moments when nothing else matters. So what do you have to say for yourself? And what do you want to say to the people that you love?"

While Bono may have had a health scare, he isn’t slowing down his partying.

Responding to Noel Gallagher – who supported the group on their ‘Joshua Tree’ tour this summer – and his admission he couldn’t keep up with Bono’s drinking, the singer said: "I would never have outed him as a lightweight. I’ve too much respect for the man. But when I go out… Yes, I do go out."

Categories
Potins

Bono not likely to play guitar again

Bono’s chances of playing guitar again are ”not looking good”.

The U2 frontman suffered multiple fractures on his face, arm, shoulder and left hand after falling off his bicycle last November, and as two of his fingers remain numb and won’t extend, he is uncertain whether he can play his instrument any more.

He said: ”It’s not looking good. I’m embarrassed talking about it. It’s just a bummer if you like playing guitar.”

In 2010, the ‘One’ singer underwent surgery following a spinal injury and admitted he was almost left permanently damaged.

He said: ”I nearly crippled myself. I was that close.”

The 55-year-old rocker – who has four kids with wife Ali Hewson – thinks he needs to start taking better care of himself.

He admitted: ”Ali says to me, ‘Can’t you take a hint?’ She says, ‘You drive through life like a tank.’ And it’s true. Edge says I look upon my body as an inconvenience. I guess that’s going to have to stop.”

During U2’s recent run of concerts in Boston, Bono visited throat surgeon Dr. Steven Zeitels and horrified the specialist when he admitted to not having had a check-up in 12 years.

He recalled in an interview with Q magazine: ”He said, ‘Doesn’t your living depend on that? Do you not think that’s a bit odd?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think that might be a bit odd.’ I shall change.”