Would this have any benefit if I don't use chrome on my computer (and even if I was I probably wouldn't want all my tabs syncing to phone)? Because the ad left me with impression that syncing is its only feature.
Introducing Chrome for Android
221–230 of 240 posts
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#222Why only "in selected countries"?
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
yes it will.. > There will be the same 6-week release cycle for new versions, Pinchai says. http://parislemon.com/post/17215781807/chrome-for-android-th... but i would ask will they be automatic or manual?
Probably automatic, like all their other apps on Android. But you should be able to easily turn that off just like with all the other apps in the Market.
I think only the market is automatically updated, everything else is opt-in like 3rd party apps, but you can now set your default to be auto-update, unless permissions change.
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's apparently a feature: "An issue that often pops up for mobile browsers is that text on the website may be too small to read properly. Where the Android Browser employs a text reflow algorithm to clarify the situation, Chrome for Android features a technique which we’ve called Font Boosting. It uses an algorithm to increase font sizes when necessary, aiming to make the text readable regardless of the zoom level."…
Then their algorithm isn't consistent, as shown by screenshot. Some comments on HN are "boosted", while others remain tiny. This also makes it impossible to reliably hit any of the other page controls, like voting, without having to manually zoom way in and then back out.
I remember seeing a very similar effect on my iPhone 3G with Safari. Since it only ever happened on Hacker News, I'd personally place the blame on the HTML here, rather than the browsers. When it works I prefer this rendering, I couldn't figure out what was different at first, I assumed it was just better tuned to my Galaxy Nexus screen size/dpi.
Also, one of the other features is a zoom window when you try and click on small link targets that are close together. Not tried it here yet but it worked beautifully on the similar up/down vote arrows on Reddit. (image showing it in action: http://i.imgur.com/UpWKF.jpg)
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#225While I understand the appeal (and - being stuck on pre 4.0 anyway, not utterly relevant for me at this time): I really hope that this will stay an optional offer, with a simple browser being the default.
Things like "When searching, your top search results are loaded in the background as you type so pages appear instantly." make me shudder in disgust. The 'inspired by WebOS' card stuff looks nice, but I won't be having more than 2-3 tabs open on my phone at any given time (tablets might be different here).
A browser is a very central part of the user experience. I prefer it simple and stupid.
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#226EEeaagh...getting tired of the upbeat-catchy-music-with-stop-motion-video-and-smarmy-narrator product demos. Who started these? I think it was Apple, not sure though...
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#227Why only "in selected countries"?
missing i18n?
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
Software may be global, but patent licenses for things like codecs aren't.
Why are they even bothering with h.264 anymore? Didn't they want to remove it from Chrome since like version 10? It's about time they start to aggressively push for WebM, if it's ready.
It would be odd, at the very least, if the problem was H.264 licensing. "All" Android devices (dating back to the G1, I believe) ship with H.264. That doesn't mean there isn't some other licensing (or other legal) sticking point, though.
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
We've been user "Browser", I hope one advantage of using Chrome would be bookmark sync with my desktop browser. "Browser" doesn't even have folders for it's bookmarks. Anyway, my phone only runs Android 2.3 so it seems I'll have to wait till my next upgrade to avoid using hacked up apps to sync my bookmarks.
"Browser" on Android 4 syncs with Chrome already (and has folder support).
IIRC, Browser's sync is just bookmarks. Chrome for Android also syncs open tabs and autocomplete suggestions from the desktop, bringing closer to Firefox Sync.
Re: Introducing Chrome for Android
#230I've been hearing that the browser in Android is kinda bad from a lot of web/js developers. I hope that this makes the situation more palatable. Even better is when they'll ship a version for Windows Phone and ios.
I wouldn't hold my breath for Chrome on iOS or Windows Phone. In both cases, the app store rules ban key features of Chrome (like the V8 JavaScript engine).
Google may well do something to address Windows Phone and/or iOS users, but it will probably be much closer to Firefox Home for iOS (which lets you explore your bookmarks, open tabs and history and then follow links in Mobile Safari) than it will be to Chrome for Android.