Brand: MacNews

Microsoft has announced the Edge web browser at this week’s Microsoft Build conference, reports re/code (http://tinyurl.com/ktnutgr/). It’s the replacement for the long-in-the-tooth Internet Explorer.

Edge will be the primary/default browser built into Windows 10. Details are still light on of what’s unique to Edge, but TechCrunch (http://tinyurl.com/keuu277) says here’s what is known:

° It has built-in Cortana support.

° It has built-in reader, note-taking and sharing features.

° The design focuses on simplicity and minimalism.

° The rendering engine is called EdgeHTML.

Some American Airlines flights were grounded as an app issue with the on-board iPads used by pilots made it impossible to take off, reports the Verge (http://tinyurl.com/pxsdkm2).

“Some flights are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads,” American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely told The Verge. “In some cases, the flight has had to return to the gate to access a Wi-Fi connection to fix the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers. We are working to have them on the way to their destination as soon as possible.”

Developer Brett Terpstra has introduced StretchLink 1.0 (http://stretchlinkapp.com), his new URL utility for Mac OS X.

StretchLink was developed exclusively for expanding shortened URLs, removing redirects, and cleaning out referrer junk so that you can share URL without any baggage. Whether you’re sending links to friends or publishing a blog, you want to protect your friends and readers from redirects and privacy issues that can be caused by unintentionally publishing a shortened link, says Terpstra.

Bare Bones Software (www.barebones.com) has announced BBEdit 11.1, an update to its professional strength HTML and text editor.

The new version introduces built-in support for Git and for EditorConfig. In addition, the BBEdit 11.1 update also introduces a new CSS/SCSS language module, a new Arrange submenu and a new Save All in Window command, plus enhanced command-line tools and INI support, refined navigation, file management and preferences, and more.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com), global smartphone shipments grew 21% annually to reach 345 million units in the first quarter of 2015. Samsung overtook Apple to recapture first position as the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume, says the research group.