Choosing power users and curiosity over hype and AI slop
Editor's take: Browser vendors are rushing to pack more AI features into their products, even though many users strongly dislike the trend. For those web "purists," it might be time to take a second look at Vivaldi. The Norwegian company has decided to take a completely different approach in this AI-saturated tech landscape we're currently navigating.
Uses AI to compare tabs, summarize pages, and book tasks
What just happened? Microsoft is taking a bigger swing at everyday AI integration with the launch of Copilot Mode in its Edge browser. Now available on Windows and Mac, the update marks a significant step in Microsoft's push to embed AI directly into the browsing experience, making tasks like research, comparison shopping, and online navigation faster (to be seen), and voice-enabled.
Tor Browser, based on Firefox ESR, uses a global network of relays to anonymize your browsing and protect your IP address. It includes a variety of privacy tools and differs from a VPN by routing traffic through multiple encrypted relays rather than masking it with a single server.
Vivaldi is a dream browser for those who want total control. Version 7.5 debuts with several privacy enhancements, it introduces color-coded Tab Stacks for grouped tabs and adds support for DNS over HTTPS (DoH), providing extra security to protect your browsing activity. Check out more in our essential apps feature.
Microsoft Edge 138 introduces a new AI-powered history search that helps users find previously visited sites using synonyms, phrases, or even misspelled words. The update also adds performance notifications. When a slowdown is detected, the browser can alert and suggest optimization tools.
Firefox 140 introduces new features across both the stable and ESR (extended support release) versions. Users can now unload inactive tabs to save memory and better manage pinned tabs. Developer Tools gain improvements such as enhanced DOM search, support for new web APIs, and custom text highlighting.
Millions of Android users are discovering their online identities are not as private as they thought
A hot potato: For years, the privacy of Android users browsing the web has been quietly compromised by a sophisticated tracking method employed by two of the world's largest tech companies: Meta and Yandex. According to recent research, both companies have exploited legitimate browser-to-app communication protocols to covertly link anonymous web activity with the identities of users logged into native apps like Facebook, Instagram, and various Yandex services on Android devices.
Vivaldi 7.4 introduces customizable keyboard shortcuts for individual websites, a revamped and more functional address bar, and a new profile switcher. This version also features visual refreshes to the Windows and History panels and stability improvements.
A new security update for Chrome addresses multiple vulnerabilities, including one actively exploited in the wild. The critical flaw could allow unauthorized code execution or data leaks through malicious HTML. Users are advised to update their browsers immediately.