Internet Browsers News & Updates

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Google introduces background tab throttling in Chrome 57

Chrome on Android already heavily throttles (or outright kills) background tabs, but Chrome on the desktop has mostly allowed inactive tabs to do whatever they want. Unfortunately, having several tabs open using performance-intensive JavaScript code, like timers, can cause Chrome performance and battery life (if you're on a laptop or other portable device) to suffer.

Google originally planned to start throttling background tabs in Chrome 56, but due to some concerns it would break a large amount of web pages, it was put off. Now the feature has finally arrived, as part of Chrome 57.

Here's how it works: every background tab has a time budget, in seconds, for running timers. The time budget goes into effect after the tab is in the background for 10 seconds. When a timer runs, the run time is subtracted from the budget. The time budget continuously regenerates, currently at a rate of 0.01 seconds per second, but that may be adjusted in future releases.

To prevent many pages from breaking, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Any tabs playing audio or containing real-time connections (like WebRTC and WebSockets) are not throttled. Google says that throttling leads to about 25% fewer busy background tabs, which obviously translates to better battery life on laptops.

To try this out, simply update Chrome on your computer or Android device to Chrome 57.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/03/14/google-introduces-background-tab-throttling-chrome-57-desktop/

 
Chrome for iOS gets a new read offline feature; here’s how it works

Google has rolled out a new feature for its Chrome browser app for iOS that allows you to save content locally on the device to read later. This is not to be confused with a bookmarking tool as the new feature essentially makes it possible for users to read saved articles even without an internet connection.

To use the feature, ensure you have the latest
Chrome for iOS version 57.0.2987.100. Now, whenever you want to go back to an article and read it offline, all you need to do is tap on the main menu on the top right and tap on share icon. Once you do that you will be prompted to choose from options including ‘Read Later’. This will save your article for later consumption. The feature is similar to the ‘Reading List’ feature which is available in the native Safari web browser for Macs and iOS devices.

Once you have marked articles as ‘Read Later ’, you can access them through the Reading Lists section in the main menu. The section further allows you to manage the offline posts. You can mark them unread/read or delete these posts.

It is worth mentioning that the feature saves the entire page and not a text-only version. While this ensures the offline reading experience is as good as online reading, it could lead to storage issues on the particular device.

Ironically, the saved articles are specific to the device on which you are using the Chrome app. For example, if you have saved an article while using an iPhone, it will be stored locally on the phone and not reflect on another iOS device.

Chrome for iOS gets a new read offline feature; here’s how it works
 
Opera Mini gets redesigned for faster browsing, to cater to Android users in India





A new update for Opera Mini on Android has been announced which includes new features specially designed for Indian smartphone users. The new version 23 has been updated with features that focus on content distribution, engagement, and accessibility. According to Opera, the new update will also help users get the content they want faster than before.

The new Opera Mini browser will offer users the option to download files easier with its auto scan feature. Users can download files quickly and easily without accidentally clicking the unwanted pop-up ads. Basically when a user visits social media or video sites, the browser will automatically scan for direct download links under the Extreme Mode. The downloadable content will be directly available from a drop-down menu on the top rather than scrolling through the web page. Currently the auto scan feature works on Facebook, Pagalworld, Tubidy, DJPunjab and more are being added.

The new Opera Mini app will also feature a built-in newsfeed feature. According to the company, it will be a more personal newsreader which will learn about people’s reading habits to provide more relevant content. Other features on the new Opera Mini browser include compression of saved pages where the size of a page one saves will become as little as 10 percent of their original size, support for video boost when using Extreme mode which reduces up to 50 percent of data consumption when watching video and full-menu Facebook Android notification bar users get access to notifications without the need to open another app.

Opera Mini gets redesigned for faster browsing, to cater to Android users in India Tech2 Mobile
 
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