Microsoft is reportedly working on a crypto and non-fungible token (NFT) compatible integration. Web3 wallet to your Edge web browser.
In a March 17 Twitter thread, Albacore shared a series of screenshots of the supposed Edge user interface (UI) that show the early stages of the company’s new Web3 wallet.
“The latest in a gauntlet of dubious upcoming Microsoft Edge features, a crypto-wallet that isn’t quite sure how to handle something like this being baked into the default browser,” Albacore noted pessimistically.
New in the gauntlet of dubious upcoming Microsoft Edge features is a cryptocurrency wallet
Not sure how you feel about something like this being baked into your default browser, what do you think?
More screenshots of the UI in the next tweet ➡️ pic.twitter.com/GAUPiZGLIY— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) March 17, 2023
The first screenshot is an introductory page to the Edge wallet, with Microsoft seemingly noting that: “we encourage you to test our first Web3 wallet and give us honest feedback along the way.”
If found to be true, it appears that the wallet will be unattended and Microsoft will not have access to passwords and recovery keys, while it will also be “built into Edge” as opposed to an installed browser extension.
The accompanying screenshots show the ability to swap, send and buy cryptoassets with crypto exchange Coinbase and web infrastructure company MoonPay shown as integrated “platforms to help you buy and put cryptocurrencies into your wallet.”
As for NFTs, the UI simply says, “Browse the different marketplaces and find your first NFT, when you build your NFT collection, we’ll organize them here.”
The potential move by Microsoft represents another recent effort to greatly expand Edge’s offerings and capabilities, which it generally has lagged behind behind competitors like Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari in terms of popularity.
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On February 7, Microsoft announced integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered search engines and chats via ChatGPT OpenAI as part of new upgrades to both Bing and Edge browsers.
