I still remember those day when there was only Internet Explorer (IE6 to be specific) to browse the web. The pathetic slow, buggy and frequent crashing browser took so many days of my internet life. Then came the Mozilla Firefox it revolutionized our web browsing and help us to move away from IE, but the real revolution came five years ago with Google launching Chrome, a fast, simple, and secure web browser, built for the modern web. Today (5th September 2013) Chrome is celebrating its 5th birthday and to mark the occasion Google introduces a new breed of Chrome App, which brings together the speed, security and flexibility of the modern web with the powerful functionality previously only available with software installed on our devices.
These apps are more powerful and act way similar to what you would expect when you download an app on your smartphone or software for your Windows machine. It allows an online service to feel more like offline software, for example Google Keep service that sync your notes and reminder for offline view. The apps are available under “For your desktop” collection in the Chrome Web Store .
In addition Google is officially launching the Chrome App Launcher for Windows, which will appear when the user install their first new Chrome App. Chrome App Launcher is essentially a central hub of all your installed Chrome apps arranged in a nice horizontal grid, where you have instant access to all the apps and extensions. It lives in the taskbar and launches the apps into their own windows, outside of Chrome, just like any other desktop apps.
Features of new Chrome Apps –
- Work offline – the apps keep running and will be fully functional, even when there is no internet connection.
- More app, less Chrome – No tabs, buttons or text boxes mean you can get into the app without being distracted by the rest of the web.
- Connect to the cloud – Access and save the documents, photos and videos to Google Drive and other web services.
- Stay up-to-speed – With desktop notifications, users will get reminders, updates and even take action, right from the notification center.
- Play nice with your connected devices – Interact with USB, Bluetooth and other devices connected to desktop, including digital cameras.
- Keep updated automatically – Apps update silently, so they always get all the latest features and security fixes
- Pick up where you left off – Chrome syncs the apps to any desktop device the user sign in to, so theycan keep working.
- Sleep easier – Chrome apps take advantage of Chrome’s built-in security features such as Sandboxing. They also auto-update to make sure you have all the latest security fixes. No extra software (or worrying) required.
Ready to explore the new breed of Chrome Apps?
Source – Google Chrome Blog