Beta Channel Release for Chrome OS
The Beta Channel has been updated to 26.0.1410.0 (platform version 3701.30.2) for new Samsung Chromebook. The details of this release can be found here.
If you find new issues, please let us know by visiting our help site or filing a bug. Interested in switching channels? Find out how. You can submit feedback using ‘Report an issue...’ in the Chrome menu (3 horizontal bars in the upper right corner of the browser).
Ben Henry
Google Chrome
Stable Channel Update for Chrome OS
The Stable channel has been updated to 25.0.1364.126 (Platform version: 3428.193.0) for all Chrome OS devices. This build contains a number of bug fixes and security improvements. Machines will be receiving updates over the next several days.
Release Highlights:
Stable Channel Update
The Stable channel has been updated to 25.0.1364.152 for Mac. This release fixes a number of issues, including a crash when typing in the Omnibox. Additional release notes will be posted next week. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.
Jason Kersey
Google Chrome
Dev Channel Update
The Dev channel has been updated to 27.0.1425.0 for Mac, Linux, and Chrome Frame and 27.0.1425.2 for Windows.
This build fixes the following issues:
- Facebook doesn't always render correctly. [Issue: 177520]
- Cancel string is missing on the button from the uninstall dialog. [Issue: 178464]
- Mac: After resizing the window, a frameless window can become draggable in the titlebar area [Issue: 159361]
Full details about what changes are in this build are available in the SVN revision log. Interested in switching release channels? Find out how. If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.
Karen Grunberg
Google Chrome
Free up memory in Google Chrome with The Great Suspender
Last year we ran a comparison of the memory usage of popular web browsers and discovered that Chrome used more memory than Firefox, Opera or Internet Explorer despite its leaner and slimmer image that it has. While that may not be an issue at all, if you have lots of memory installed, it may be an issue for users who run systems where memory is always maxed out.
Chrome users who do not want to switch to another browser to reduce the memory consumption of their web browser can use tricks to reduce it. One option is for instance to restart the browser regularly which resets the memory it uses. While that may be an option, it is not really practicable. A far better solution is to make use of extensions that help you reduce the memory consumption.
The Great Suspender is a free extension for the web browser that can suspend tabs manually or automatically after a set period of time.
Here is how it works. The extension adds an icon to the browser’s address bar that you can click on to suspend the active tab, all tabs, or to reload all tabs. Suspending in this regard means that the extension saves information about web pages before they are replaced with a placeholder that uses less memory and lets you reload the page when the need arises. A click on the information reloads the page in the browser.
Using WebP to Improve Speed
Since speed is critical for a good experience when using the web, at Google we’re always exploring ways to make the web faster. As it turns out, one of the biggest bang-for-the-buck ways to do that is by replacing JPEG and PNG images with WebP. WebP offers significantly better compression than these legacy formats (around 35% better in most cases), and when you consider that over 60% of typical page sizes are images, the benefits can be substantial. WebP translates directly into less bandwidth consumption, decreased latency, faster page loads, better battery consumption on mobile, and overall happier users.
Case in point: the Chrome Web Store uses many large promotional images and tiles on its home page, making it a very heavyweight page. The team was eager to find ways to improve its speed, without sacrificing the user experience or giving up image quality. WebP to the rescue!
Chrome Beta for Android Update - Chrome Beta for Android has been updated to 25.0.1364.74 on Google Play
Chrome Beta for Android has been updated to 25.0.1364.74 on Google Play. This build will be rolling out over the next few hours. This update contains a number of fixes, including:
- 173232: Chrome does not load pages on Samsung Galaxy S2
- 158633: Overaggressive tap disambiguation popup
- 167089: Blank screen when opening links from external apps
- Resolution for some frequently occurring crashes
Known Issues:
Updates to manifest V1 Chrome Web Store items to be blocked in March
Last year, Chrome introduced manifest V2 to Apps and Extension developers, which brings a variety of security and API improvements such as a default Content Security Policy. As of Chrome 18, manifest V1 was officially deprecated. At the time, we published our manifest version support schedule to give developers transparency and insight into our plans for migrating to the new version.
Today, we’re announcing a slight update to that schedule, to let developers know that they have until Monday, March 4, 2013 to make updates to their existing manifest V1-based items. After that date, the Chrome Web Store will block all updates to products based on manifest V1 unless the update includes switching it to manifest V2.
Google Chrome Blog: A Chrome Experiment made with some friends from Oz
You won’t need magical powers to take a journey down the yellow brick road; just point your favorite browser to the latest Chrome Experiment, “Find Your Way to Oz.” Developed in collaboration with Disney and UNIT9 in anticipation of the upcoming film, Oz The Great and Powerful, this experiment takes you through a dusty Kansas circus and leads to a vibrant land, following in the footsteps of the Wizard himself.
Introducing “Find Your Way to Oz”, a new Chrome Experiment
Earlier today we unveiled Find Your Way To Oz, a new Chrome Experiment inspired by the upcoming feature film Oz The Great and Powerful. Developed by UNIT9, this experiment brings together Disney’s unique storytelling tradition and the power of the web platform, allowing users to interact with the web in a completely new way.
The desktop version of “Find Your Way To Oz” uses many of the open web’s more advanced features:
- Immersive Graphics: The experiment uses WebGL for the main 3D environment, CSS3 features such as CSS Transitions for various visual embellishments, and GLSL shaders for the tornado’s ominous look and feel.
- Rich Audio: As the user explores the experiment, the 3D sound dynamically adapts thanks to the Web Audio API. The same API powers the experiment’s music composing section.
- Camera-based interactions: Through WebRTC’s getUserMedia API, users can become circus characters or record their own mini-movies.
The experiment’s mobile web version also uses cutting-edge web technologies. These include graphics features such as accelerated 3D transforms and sprite sheets as well as mobile hardware features like camera, multi-touch, gyroscope and accelerometer. Together they create an experience that can normally only be found in native apps.
To learn more about how this experiment was built, read our technical case study and join us for a Google Developers Live event on February 11th at 11 a.m. GMT where we’ll be talking to the team behind the project. Alternatively, use Chrome’s developer tools to see how the experiment works on your own, perhaps finding in the process your own path to the yellow brick road.