Nov 19 2019 09:39 AM
Hello Insiders! You have told us that you really want the Ask Cortana / Ask Bing feature in our next version of Microsoft Edge.
In the current version of Microsoft Edge, you can select text or click on an image and get a result from Cortana / Bing in a side panel, without leaving the page you are browsing.
We hear you and from your feedback we understand you would like similar contextual search functionality in a way that does not pull you out of your browsing flow.
We are investigating our ability to add this to the next version of Microsoft Edge and we would like to understand what makes this feature useful for you.
How did you use this feature? If you ever attempted to use Ask Cortana / Ask Bing and couldn’t get the answer you were looking for, what steps did you take, if any, to get the answer you were looking for?
What aspects of the Ask Cortana experience do you like or appreciate? What improvements would you like to see?
Please let us know, either in the comments below or by using the Send-A-Smile feedback.
Thanks – Jared Brown and the Microsoft Edge Search Team
Nov 23 2019 05:58 AM
Hi @Elliot Kirk
Here is what I expect to use with Cortana integration into the new Edge browser
Nov 23 2019 06:01 AM
Nov 23 2019 06:04 AM
Nov 23 2019 06:06 AM
@Drew1903 wrote:Ask Cortana: Same as others are saying... often, without interrupting what you're doing/viewing, can view at the side what may well be enough info... without, actually, going to a search page per se... unless, turns out to necessary to dig further or deeper. But, to take a quick look without leaving the page is great.
if all Cortana integration is gonna bring is to provide us just with a small window to see search results then they better drop it already because things like that are not new, they can be achieved with Google chrome extensions too, so no real advantage against Google chrome.
Nov 23 2019 06:16 AM
@Elliot Kirk Since Cortana is apparently productivity-focused now, it would be nice to have the ability to highlight some text then ask cortana to turn it into a to-do task, or turn it into a calendar event (especially if it includes a date/time).
The old Cortana was a share target for links (which attached them to a new task), but the new Cortana Beta on Windows Insider Fast Ring does not appear to be a share target for links, so providing a way to turn a webpage snippet or url into a task in Cortana could be valuable.
Nov 24 2019 07:24 AM - edited Nov 24 2019 07:28 AM
I like the ability to highlight something and ask Cortana to have information without opening another tab.
Bing is fine, but since Edge and Bing are two different services, someone may like the opportunity to change Cortana's default search engine.
Anyway, for me it's quite a good feature in the way it is in Classic Edge.
Maybe, it could be interesting adding to the popup you have by right-clicking anywhere in the screen an Ask Cortana feature that could let you have a quick search without opening another tab (like in Classic Edge but with the opportunity of choosing what to search, not just by highlighting a word).
Nov 25 2019 06:53 AM
Nov 25 2019 08:25 AM
Nov 25 2019 03:31 PM
@Tim Irons
Tim, you raise a good point, but, I want to take it beyond the context of Ask Cortanta/Bing. Many/most people use a small fraction of what's in their computer & what it can do. And many/most are, indeed actually, unaware of what's available. I have been in this for a long time and the info IS there IF one looks for or reads it... do you have to notifications or do you have to be curious. Try stuff, look around, poke at things (click). But, more than that, one can become easily educated & enlighten, but, some instinct has be the impetus to discovery & learning. For those who are prone to find find out what a browser or OS offers, besides trial on error: When browsers are introduced or new Builds of them there is an accompanying "What's New" which, actually, goes though new & already existing details. When OSs or new OS Builds are released, there's "What's New", again. And, how many End Users know about Tips? Tips in the OS talks about basically the whole OS regarding How, What, Where, Why, etc. and all in plain English. And, the 'Show & tell" and available info in the Settings windows is terrific & blossoming as time passes.
One of my company's mottoes is "Education Breeds Empowerment". And person can teach themselves a lot. Just has to occur to one to look (seek), read, it's there & often right at ones fingertips, even, right in ones OS & or browser.
Cheers,
Drew
Nov 25 2019 03:40 PM
@WolfIcefang
Again, we can take this beyond this specific context of the thread title. Countless times we are saying things that are all pointing to not leaving the page in question! So much of Edge HTML we accessed what we want/need whilst STILL viewing the page and that is wonderful! The Chromium full page approach is so wrong & unappealing... leaving what one was thinking about & looking at and being switched to a whole OTHER page is silly, senseless, not intuitive, distracting & counter-productive.
Cheers,
Drew
Nov 26 2019 02:33 AM
Nov 26 2019 02:35 AM
Nov 26 2019 02:38 AM
@WolfIcefang wrote:
After musing some more, I think Ask Cortana actually could work in a side bar. Maybe it was just the layout and density of the sidebar's contents that threw me off in Edge Classic. One of the benefits of a sidebar over a more squared popup window is that the original page doesn't have to be obscured.
A sidebar sounds good but not a sidebar like collection's sidebar where it pushes the web contents to the left to make room for itself instead of overlaying the web contents.
when it pushes web contents to the left, it breaks the original view, can create problems, can force an already loaded heavy page to need to reload etc.
Nov 27 2019 05:02 AM
So I forgot to mention but there is no word whatsoever about Cortana in the Edge classic, neither in Windows 10 insider fast ring nor in slow ring. it's all removed.
am i missing something?
not talking about stable versions, but slow and fast rings.
if that is true then it means the same Cortana features from Edge classic can't be just shipped to the new Edge, they must be reworked and be compatible with the new Cortana beta experience which is only in insider channels.
see there is only ask Bing and search Bing, nothing about Cortana. that side panel search also is so basic that it doesn't need Cortana API.
it's a simple panel like Collections panel. once Cortana is integrated, it should make the whole browsing experience smarter and more helpful, so people will know the difference between a browser with AI (Edge insider) and a browser without AI (Google Chrome).
AI = Artificial Intelligence = Cortana, Google Assistance, Alexa etc
Nov 28 2019 12:56 AM
Nov 28 2019 01:17 AM
Nov 28 2019 03:50 AM
Nov 30 2019 12:06 PM
Nov 30 2019 01:16 PM
Nov 30 2019 01:40 PM