Internet Browsers News & Updates

[Sarkar]

Chrome 55, due out in December, will replace Flash with HTML5, Google says

Chrome 53 will begin to block it. HTML5 is much lighter and faster, and publishers are switching over to speed up page loading and save you more battery life. You’ll see an improvement in responsiveness and efficiency for many sites.

In December, Chrome 55 will make HTML5 the default experience, except for sites which only support Flash. For those, you’ll be prompted to enable Flash when you first visit the site.


Google Chrome Blog: Flash and Chrome

 

[Optimus_Prime]

Google Chrome will start blocking all Flash content next month

Flash was an integral part of the internet in years past, but it has also been a drag on performance and the source of a great many security vulnerabilities. Today, HTML5 is a better way to get the same sort of interactive content running on the web, and it works on mobile devices. The next phase in Adobe Flash’s agonizingly slow demise starts next month when Google Chrome begins blocking all Flash content.
This will come as part of the Chrome 53 update, which should be available in early September. Chrome 53 will block all the small, non-visible Flash elements on web pages. These are usually tacking platforms and page analytics, but they can slow down page loads just like larger Flash content. This is not Google’s first attempt to de-emphasize Flash on the web. Last year in Chrome 52, Google made most Flash content “click-to-play.”
So, what’s different now? In Chrome 52, the Flash block only applied to Flash objects that were above a certain size, but now that’s being extended to smaller Flash objects. The previous restriction was in place because at the time, there was no reliable way to detect viewability. Now, Chrome’s intersection observer API allows that. You will have the option to enable Flash objects on a page if they are necessary for the experience. If non-visible Flash objects are blocked, an icon in the address bar will alert you.
Google says that all Chrome users will see a benefit from this move. All the Flash objects loading in the background can make page loading sluggish. If you’re on a laptop, Flash also gobbles up power and reduces your battery life. Flash’s innate inefficiency is why it never took off on mobile devices.
While Flash content will be blocked in general, Google is making a
temporary exception for some popular sites that still rely heavily upon Flash. Those include Facebook, Twitch, and Yahoo, among others. You’ll be prompted to enable Flash on these sites when loading them, but Google plans to phase out the Flash whitelist over time. When Chrome 55 rolls out in December, HTML5 will become the default experience. It’s not clear how exactly that will affect the whitelist.

Google Chrome will start blocking all Flash content next month | ExtremeTech#

 

[Sarkar]

Google is killing off chrome apps on Windows, Linux & Mac

Starting in late 2016, newly-published Chrome apps will only be available to users on Chrome OS. Existing Chrome apps will remain accessible on all platforms, and developers can continue to update them.

In the second half of 2017, the Chrome Web Store will no longer show Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux, but will continue to surface extensions and themes. In early 2018, users on these platforms will no longer be able to load Chrome apps.

http://blog.chromium.org/2016/08/from-chrome-apps-to-web.html?m=1

 

[rahul1117kumar]

Google officially announces native Cast integration into Chrome


Starting from the Chrome build 51, the
Google Cast functionality is baked into the browser itself, with no need for the plug-in to be installed. Those using the functionality in the browser have noticed the feature which began to be available to users from early last month . Google has now officially announced that the Google Cast feature is built into Chrome. Google Cast is a way of mirroring the browser window on another screen, typically a television, to show slideshows, videos or other content.

Google Cast has dedicated hardware, called
Chromecast and Chromecast Audio . Google has sold over 30 million of these dedicated Google Cast hardware devices till date. The casting function is integrated into third party devices as well, including smart televisions and smartphones. For websites that support Google Cast, a cast icon now appears automatically if the site is being browsed on a device connected to the same network as a cast ready device. This can range from viewing videos on a television using a mobile phone, or listening to web streaming services through speakers, while navigating the service through a browser window on a laptop.

Websites that do not have an integrated Cast functionality can also be mirrored on televisions, through the Cast button in the Chrome menu. The Cast functionality also now seamlessly works in other Google applications as well, for example Cast for Education. It is possible to mirror your screen in a group video chat on Google Hangouts. There is no need for setup or configurations for Casting feature now, and mirroring content in high definition is supported.

Google officially announces native Cast integration into Chrome Tech2 Mobile

 

[Bapun]

Chrome updated with UI tweaks..

 

[Siva]

Chrome Dev debuts page saver, download manager

A download manager and page saver feature have arrived on Chrome for the Android app’s latest developer build. The update comes on the heels of the release of a feature-packed Chrome 53.

The download manager in Chrome Dev is set up pretty much like the one in the desktop version of Chrome. You can access it by the navigation bar’s Overflow button, which is denoted by its three-dot column.

Inside of the download manager, you can monitor and moderate downloads. You can also view current and completed downloads by category by tapping on the Download menu’s hamburger button.

Download categories include Audio, Video, Images, Documents, Other and Pages.

On the subject of Pages, the latest version of Chrome Dev lets you save them for offline access. That means that even if you’re up in the air, down in a basement, inside a tunnel, or out of tower range, you can still access your favorite webpages on Chrome.

There’s a big catch to this feature, however, because the Save Page feature only lets you save one page at a time. You’ll have to do a little bit of manual labor if you’d like to peruse web pages offline.

While some logical additions to Chrome for Android are being test driven in Chrome Dev, Chrome 53 was recently released with a batch of updates that may interest developers much more than end users.

Chrome 53 is out now for desktop platforms and is expected to see an Android release next month.

http://www.androidauthority.com/chrome-dev-download-manager-714257/

 

[Saj 007]

Chrome 53 for PCs Released; Finally Brings Material Design to Windows.

Chrome 53 for PCs Released; Finally Brings Material Design to Windows...

The Chrome team has announced quite a few things recently. From natively building Google Cast into Chrome, to phasing out Chrome apps - its been a busy couple of weeks. Now, Chrome browser version 53 has graduated to the stable channel, and the update is already rolling out to Windows, Mac, and Linux users.
The company has announced that the rollout will happen over the coming weeks. Chrome 53 brings the usual bugs and security fixes, but it also introduces Material Design for Windows users. The first to receive Material Design were Chrome OS users, followed by Mac users in April (with Chrome 52 stable channel), and now finally Windows users get the redesign. It comes with a dark theme for Incognito mode, a flatter design, distinct edges, and better icons. Those who don't like the look can try Material Hybrid instead, or, just switch back to normal via chrome://flags.
If you already have Chrome installed and have not been prompted to install the update, go to Settings > About > Check for updates. Chrome 53 for Android and Chrome OS is scheduled to arrive soon as well. Based on the beta channel, Chrome 53 for Android is expected to bring a host of new features like autoplay for muted videos. However, Chrome will detect all those videos that autoplay with sound and pause them for the user to hit play manually. There's also a new PaymentRequest API that is similar to autofill. Support for commerce sites has been rolled out, and other sites will get it soon.
As mentioned, Google is discontinuing Chrome apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux users by the end of the year. Only Chromebooks will support Chrome apps next year, as Google insists they play a 'critical role' in Chrome OS. Google has also announced that it will start to de-emphasise Flash in Chrome in favour of HTML5 from this month onwards.

Chrome 53 for PCs Released; Finally Brings Material Design to Windows | NDTV Gadgets360.com

 

[Vicky]

Chrome Updated to Version 53.0.2785.89 m (64-bit) 

 

[Sarkar]

Adobe Announces New Flash Player for Linux almost after 4 years  hya

Latest Flash Player 23 Beta for Firefox Linux can be downloaded from below link 

Download Adobe Flash Player 23 Beta for Desktops - Adobe Labs

 

[Suvir]

Google Chrome New Update
Version 53.0.2785.101 m
.