Google may have released the Chromecast with support for Android and iOS, however it wasn’t until today that a setup app arrived in the iTunes App Store. This didn’t mean that iOS users were left waiting for the app, but it should make the setup process a bit easier for some. If nothing else, it […]
Google has been testing search-enabled tabs in Chrome since December, but you’ve had to run test versions of the browser to see those tabs in action. That changes today: the company is expanding its trials to include a small number of users running stable copies of Chrome and Chrome OS. If you’re part of that exclusive group and use Google as your default search engine, you’ll see a search box appear in every new tab. The page also supports other providers through a developer API. While Google doesn’t say if or when the new search feature will reach every Chrome user, it notes that previous tests have been “encouraging” — don’t be surprised if your tabs get the same treatment in the near future.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Chromium Blog
Last week, we told you about a little gem called AllCast (previously known as AirCast), which is a Chromecast app that bypassed the limited support for streaming service by allowing pretty much anything to be streamed to the HDMI dongle. However, the developer of the app has announced that Google has banished the app. The […]
The stable channel of Chrome OS has hit version 29, and with that tick comes a few new features we saw in beta just a month ago. Most notable is an “immersive” mode that hides the toolbar and shelf for a truly full-screen browsing experience. And, just like on the standalone browser, you need only hover at the top of the screen to bring those UI elements out of hiding. Pinning apps to the launcher has also been simplified with drag-and-drop — something so intuitive and obvious that we’re surprised it’s taken this long to implement. The app launcher’s search feature has also received a pretty impressive update, with the ability to pull in results from the web store as well as locally “installed” apps and it will dynamically learn from your searches to deliver the most relevant results. A few more minor tweaks have also been baked in, such as monitor scaling, wallpaper syncing and “two-finger history navigation” (which we’re pretty sure is fancy talk for a back and forward browser gestures). The update should be rolling out now to all Chrome OS devices, with the exception of the Thinkpad X131e.
Source: Chrome Releases
The Chrome 30 beta has one of the longer lists of new features we’ve seen from the browser in quite some time. One of the most immediately visible will be a new option to search by image when you right-click or long-press on one. It’ll use your default search provider to perform the task, but chances are you’ll be using Google’s own top-notch photo-mining service. The Android edition is also revamping its various gestures to make them easier to perform and lessen the chance of accidentally triggering them. Now all the gestures are performed in the top tool bar: swipe left or right to switch tabs, down from the middle to initiate the tab selector or down from the upper right-hand corner to open the menu.
As if that wasn’t enough, the back-end tech is getting a slew of new features on both the desktop and mobile sides. The Android version of the Chrome beta now supports WebGL, the MediaSource API and DeviceMotion, for making use of the accelerometer in the browser. MediaSource is particularly useful for generating dynamic streams of content that can adjust bit-rates on the fly, based on the quality of the connection. On the desktop, a load of new APIs have been added to the Chrome App framework, including support for in-app payments and downloads. WebRTC and speech recognition have also received improvements across all platforms. You can find out more details at the source and download the new Chrome beta at the more coverage links below.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
Source: Chromium Blog, Chrome Blog
Google today launched the latest beta of Chrome for desktop and Android. This release marks the first time Chrome for Android supports WebGL by default. Previous versions of the beta for Android already made WebGL the standard for rendering interactive 3D and 2D graphics in the browser, available behind a flag. It’s now enabled by default on all mobile devices that feature a relatively high-end GPU, including those found in the Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 7 tablet.
While virtually every modern desktop browser already supports most aspects of the WebGL API (with the exception of Internet Explorer, which will support it in the next version), mobile browsers have mostly lagged behind. While the BlackBerry 10 browser, Opera Mobile and Firefox for Android now support it, the mobile web is only now starting to catch up with WebGL. iOS for Safari still doesn’t support it, but the popularity of Chrome on Android will likely give more mobile developers the confidence to start experimenting with it.
If you have a compatible phone, give WebGL a try with this demo.
Google is also bringing a number of new swipe gestures to Chrome. You can now, for example, swipe horizontally across the top toolbar to switch between tabs and drag vertically down from the toolbar to enter the tab switcher view.
With today’s update, Google is also introducing the device motion part of the Device Orientation API in the Chrome for Android beta channel. That sounds pretty dry, but it allows developers to get information about the device’s acceleration and rotation rates. This feature has long been part of the API, but it looks like Google only got around to implementing it now. You can give it a try here.
The only other major new feature for developers is support for the MediaSource API in the beta channel for devices running Jelly Bean or higher. This, Google says, makes it easier to enable adaptive streaming and time-shifting live streams in the mobile browser.
Chrome Apps are also getting some goodies in today’s update, including APIs for webview.request and media gallery write and download support. Chrome Apps, Google says, will now also be able to use Chrome Web Store managed in-app payments.
The desktop version isn’t getting too many new features, but Google is now making it easier to search for a given image right from Chrome. Just right-click on any image on the web, select “Search google for this image” and see Google’s search results within a second.
The other interesting new features on the desktop is support for the WebRTC Device Enumeration API, which allows users to switch between microphones and cameras (just like in Skype) without having to restart the WebRTC call.
Supposing you’re a heavy Chrome web browser user and you’ve loaded your fair share of settings, extensions, and web apps: Chrome 29 can help you with that. Chrome 29 is an update to the Chrome web browser that’ll be appearing available to you and yours this week. This update includes – perhaps most importantly – […]
Do you often find yourself searching desperately through bookmarks folders, trying to find that perfect GIF you saved that one time? Do you keep a spreadsheet of links that takes you ten minutes to track down? Then you’ll love GIFME, a new Chrome Extension that makes everything easier.
     |
Those with a hearty level of respect for beta builds have been enjoying these spoils for weeks now, but Google has today seen fit to push Chrome 29 and a refreshed Chrome for Android out to rest of us. Effective right now, Chrome 29 users on the desktop will see “improvements to omnibox suggestions based on the recency of websites visited, resulting in more timely and contextually relevant suggestions.” Interestingly, Google has also added a “Reset browser settings” option for those who end up going a bit overboard with extensions; thankfully, waving the aforesaid white flag won’t impact your themes, apps or bookmarks.
On the mobile front, Chrome on Android is being updated with improved scrolling and startup performance, as well as WebRTC support that will enable video conversation directly in the browser without a plugin. Yeah, we thought you’d dig that.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Chrome Blog, Google Play Store
If you’re a parent and you were hoping that Google’s Chrome browser for the computer would offer up a bit more features in terms of parental control, your wish could be granted because according to the latest Chrome developer build, it has been spotted that there are aspects of the feature that have already made their way into the browser, although they are not fully working yet. Basically through this feature, Chrome users will be able to set up multiple accounts on a single computer, none of which needs to be connected to a Google profile.
Similar to a Chrome browser tied to a Google profile, each of the accounts will have their own bookmarks and histories depending on its user, with some accounts that can be set up to oversee other accounts and choose what sort of websites they are allowed to visit, which could be a way for parents to prevent their kids from stumbling across adult websites, or for school teachers to prevent students from browsing 9gag whilst in class. No word on when Google will be rolling this feature out to the masses yet, but it clearly is in development which means that it could be a while before we see them.
[Image credit – BrowserFame]
Google Chrome Could Be Getting Parental Controls original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
