Since being launched last year, there have been a couple of updates here and there. That being said, this is by far the biggest update since its original launch.
If you are interested in installing the Chrome Beta for Android, you will need to visit this link to the Google Play app store to do so.
According to CNET, this update has been a long time coming:
“Google has been working to put Chrome for Android on the same six-week update cycle as the personal computer version of the browser, and it looks like this release is part of that change. The Chrome 25 beta brings a number of new features, but Google warns of sluggish performance and some other problems.”
In other words, don’t get too excited about this update from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) just yet. As you get started, you may realize that there are some issues that need to be worked out. That being said, this is a “beta release” so it is to be expected.
At this point, you are probably looking for some information on the new features.
Here is a list from the official Chromium Blog release:
“With prefixed support for CSS Filters you can apply visual effects like grayscale, blur, and contrast adjustment to the mobile web. Try this demo on Chrome for Android to see filters in action.”
“The new Flexible Box Layout Module simplifies the styling of complex layouts.”
“The dynamic viewport units vw, vh, and vmin can now be used for responsive design.”
“The <track> element for video provides a simple, standardized way to add subtitles, captions, screen reader descriptions, and chapters. Note that it doesn’t work for fullscreen video on Chrome for Android yet.”
“The CSS calc() function can be used anywhere a length is required by a CSS properties. It allows mathematical expressions with addition (‘+’), subtraction (‘-’), multiplication (‘*’), and division (‘/’) to be used as component values.”
“The @sandbox and @srcdoc attributes of the <iframe> element give you more control over inline frames.”
“Unprefixed IndexedDB gives you access to fast, structured client-side storage.”
“Our technique to make desktop web pages more readable on mobile screens (now called Text Autosizing) has been improved and is more consistent with other browsers.”
“V8 has been updated to 3.15 bringing a big speed boost; performance on the Octane benchmark improved on average by 25-30%.”
This information is courtesy of Chrome developer and software engineer, Peter Beverloo.
Have you given the beta version a try? If so, feel free to share your thoughts with the rest of us.
Check back here for more updates on Google Chrome for Android.
DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.
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