In running a few tests the other day, I ended up putting one of our office-dwelling Chromebooks in the Canary Channel of ChromeOS 124. Full disclosure, I was seeing if I could get the new ChromeOS App Mall to appear. I could not, unfortunately, even with all the clear and obvious flags turned on. In […]
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Chrome 124 is prepping a feature that easily turns any site into a free-standing web app
It was only a few years ago that Google opted to end support for Chrome Apps in favor of the far more universal PWAs – progressive web apps. Since that point, the web by and large has moved in this direction, seeing standard websites acting far more like native applications across the board. With the […]
Continue Reading3 new ways to get helpful suggestions with Chrome
Searching the web can be incredibly efficient when you know precisely what you’re after. But what about those times when you need a little nudge to narrow down your search or find some new ideas? Chrome has you covered with three new smart features designed to boost your browsing inspiration. Related search suggestions in the […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Chrome may soon be able to search text in PDFs that are just images
I’m sure you’ve been there: a PDF gets delivered to you in one way or another and when you open it up to search for whatever piece of info you are looking for, you realize this PDF isn’t a document at all, but is simply an image that has been converted to a PDF. It’s […]
Continue ReadingSay hello to the new “modern” Google sign-in page
Have you noticed a pop-up on the Google account sign-in page recently hinting at a “new look coming soon”? Well, the wait is over – Google has unveiled its “more modern look” for the sign-in page. But before you hit the refresh button expecting a dramatic overhaul, you should know this is only a slight […]
Continue ReadingGoogle delivers my most-anticipated AI feature to Chrome today
Last month, Google teased the introduction of new generative AI goodies set to arrive “soon” in the Chrome browser. Today, with the roll-out of Chrome 122, we finally get to start playing around with the new “Help me write” feature that they’ve been teasing us with for quite some time. For right now, the new […]
Continue ReadingYou can now use the new Lacros Chrome browser on Chromebooks again
It feels like a long time has passed since the simple ability to enable Lacros (Google’s new, decoupled Chrome browser for Chromebooks) via a feature flag left us. Looking back, it was only a little over a month ago in ChromeOS 120 that this change happened, however. For the swarms of users who had been […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Chrome may finally get really good on iPhones
Since the beginning, in classic Apple fashion, no other web browser engines outside of Webkit have been allowed on iOS. So the Chrome you run on an Android phone is quite different under the hood when compared with the one that you get on iOS and iPadOS. Apple has instead forced companies like Google and […]
Continue ReadingNew generative AI features on the way to Google Chrome 121
Google Chrome has always been focused on pushing the web forward with new abilities. Over the years, these innovations have not only improved the efficiency and safety of browsing but have also made it a bit more personalized. With the release of Chrome (M121), a new wave of experimental AI features is being introduced to […]
Continue ReadingChrome is set to get a nice speed boost on Windows
Both Chrome and the Microsoft Edge browsers are set to get a pretty significant performance boost. This improvement stems from a recent contribution to the Chromium Project, where the /prefetch parameter’s range has been expanded from 1-8 to 1-16. What does that mean in simpler language? More simply put, Chromium-based browsers like Chrome and Edge […]
Continue ReadingChrome 121 Beta allows users to save frames from YouTube videos directly
It wasn’t all that long ago that Google introduced one of my favorite new features for grabbing screenshots from YouTube videos. In early September, the new “Copy video frame” feature arrived and ever since, I’ve used it countless times to snag a new thumbnail for a post from one of our videos on YouTube. After […]
Continue ReadingThe Side Panel in Chrome 121 is getting a helpful navigation change
The Chrome Side Panel has been with us for a bit, but I’ve been a bit of a holdout. When it first arrived in 2022, I wasn’t completely sure I even liked it as an idea. Fast forward to today, however, and I’ve found myself enjoying it as a place for my bookmarks, a handy […]
Continue ReadingGoogle’s new Lacros Chrome browser for Chromebooks is gone as of ChromeOS 120
Vanished. Poof. Gone. Just like that, the method for testing and trying out the new, split-from-ChromeOS version of Chrome that has been available for users to try on their Chromebooks is simply no more. From what we can tell at this point, the existing methods of enabling the Lacros browser on your Chromebook that have […]
Continue ReadingChrome 120 arrives with Saved Tab Groups, enhanced Safety Check, and more
Chrome 120 for desktop is set to arrive shortly and with it comes a few nice feature upgrades that further enhance the performance and safety of Chrome for users across all desktop platforms. Obviously, other bug fixes and security patches are along for the ride, too, but let’s look at a few of the key […]
Continue ReadingChromeOS 119 arrives with Chrome’s updated Material You looks
Right on time, ChromeOS 119 is now available and rolling out to most eligible Chromebooks. From what we can tell from cros.tech, there are some 10th-gen Chromeboxes and Chromebases that are still on 118, but most of the current, well-known Chromebooks out there are all getting the update as of this morning. As soon as […]
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