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Be the first to try Microsoft's new Edge browser

The Microsoft Edge Insider Program is taking applicants.

Matt Elliott Senior Editor
Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.
Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms
Matt Elliott
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Microsoft will no longer go it alone with its Edge browser. Earlier this month, the company said it will move its Edge browser to Google's open-source Chromium software. Web developers are likely to applaud the change because it means they won't need to test their software on as many platforms. For the rest of us, it means that Google's dominance of the Web only grows with one less independent technology platform in existence to help direct the evolution of web standards and core browser technology.

It'll be interesting to see what the new Edge browser will look like and whether it will support Chrome extensions. And how soon a version of Edge shows up for MacOS. I'm also curious to see the frequency with which Microsoft rolls out Edge updates, since they will no longer be tied to Windows releases.

Watch this: Microsoft bailing on Edge, Epic Games to launch a digital game store

Microsoft Edge Insider Program

Microsoft expects to release a preview build of Edge in early 2019. If you are eager to give it a whirl, you can join the Microsoft Edge Insider program to be notified when a preview build is available. Just give Microsoft your email and you'll be among the first to get your hands on the new Chromium-based Edge browser.