Chrome Blog
The latest news from the Google Chrome team
A faster, mobile(r) web with Emoji
Monday, March 31, 2014
Today we’re announcing
Google Translate
support for Emoji, built directly into
Chrome for Android and iOS
. You can now read all your favorite web content using efficient and emotive illustrations, instead of cumbersome text. Our translation algorithm interprets not just the definition of the words on a webpage, but also their context, tone and if appropriate, facial expression. It then distills text into articulate, meaningful symbols so you can get more out of every screen.
As more of our web browsing moves to phones and tablets, it’s become clear that the written language on small screens can’t keep up with our ravenous hunger for information. We’re forced to scroll, swipe and pinch our way through screenfuls of words each and every day. At first we thought we could help solve this problem by
improving global finger strength
and minimizing extremity fatigue on the mobile web, but that only resulted in incremental improvements in browsing efficiency. We knew we needed a
10x solution
for a 10x problem.
One evening, exhausted from our research, the solution appeared to us in multi-colored pixelated glory from our smartphones…
Suddenly we realized that we could apply the magic of Emoji to webpages. Not only does this pictorial and theatrical language allow us to communicate complex emotions, it’s also far more compact. One Emoji symbol can easily replace dozens of characters, improving efficiency and comprehension on the go. It turns out the best way to communicate in the future is to look to the past: the ancient Egyptians were really onto something with their hieroglyphs.
To view webpages in Emoji today on your Android and iOS devices, make sure you have the latest version of
Chrome for Mobile
from the
Play Store
or
App Store
. Then simply tap on the menu icon and select the “Translate to Emoji” option. Tap “Reload” to view the original page. This feature is currently only available in English.
By bringing emojis to the web, we hope to improve the efficiency of all communications and make it easier for you to get more out of the web on your phone and tablet.
Update April 2
: April Fools! Unfortunately, it turns out crying cats don’t help everyone read legal documents faster on the web. We’ll keep searching for a solution before next April 1 though!
Posted by Josh Estelle, Software Engineer and Modern Scribe ;)
Chrome Experiments, now featuring Chromecast
Monday, March 24, 2014
The launch of the
Google Cast SDK
and Chromecast means anyone can develop applications that take advantage of the biggest screen in the house—the TV.
We got excited about using the TV as a place for people to collaborate, so we started tinkering with ways for people to play with photos using their phones and tablets—like an interactive slideshow. The experiment became
Photowall for Chromecast
, a new
Chrome Experiment
that lets your friends collaborate and display images in real time on the TV.
Setting up a Photowall is easy. You’ll need to have a Chromecast plugged into your TV*, then you can create a Photowall from your laptop, phone or tablet. Once you’re set up, you and your friends can start sending photos directly to the big screen. When you’re finished, a YouTube video of your Photowall is automatically generated, which is perfect for sharing with everyone who took part. The Photowall app for your iPhone, iPad, or Android device will be available starting today.
If you’re a developer and you want to make your own multi-screen experience, we hope you’ll roll up your sleeves and start experimenting with Chromecast as well. We'll also
share
some behind-the-scenes tips for developers and will be hosting a
Google Developers Live Hangout
in the next few weeks.
Posted by Iain Tait, Creative Director and Selfie Snapper
*If you don’t have a Chromecast yet, you can still check out the experiment by selecting the option of setting up your Photowall on your computer screen.
Chromecast: now casting in 11 more countries
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Superheroes
,
cliff divers
,
fearless reporters
or
pop icons
—whatever you like to watch,
Chromecast
makes it easy to bring it from a phone, tablet or laptop to the biggest screen in your house: the TV. Since announcing Chromecast in the U.S.,
we’ve grown to include more
of your favorite apps and websites. Those numbers will continue to grow, and we want to bring Chromecast to more people around the world. Today Chromecast is available in an additional 11 countries—Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.
In addition to your favorite apps like YouTube, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music and Netflix (where available), we’re working with local content providers to bring even more of the movies and TV shows you love to Chromecast. Apps will start rolling out today, and include BBC iPlayer in the U.K.; France TV Pluzz and SFR TV in France with CANALPLAY coming soon; and Watchever in Germany with Maxdome coming soon. So instead of huddling around your laptop to watch Sherlock solve the next crime or getting caught up on all the workplace drama in Stromberg, you can cast it, sit back, and watch together on the big screen.
Chromecast will keep getting better. We recently opened up
Chromecast to developers
, and in a few short weeks more than 3,000 developers worldwide have signed up to bring their apps and websites to Chromecast. You’ll soon have more TV shows, movies, videos, sports, music and games to choose from. Stay up-to-date on the latest apps that work with Chromecast at
chromecast.com/apps
.
So if you’re in one of these 11 countries, look for
Chromecast
starting today at Amazon, Google Play, Currys PC World, Elkjøp, FNAC, Saturn, Media Markt and other retailers.
Happy casting!
Posted by Mario Queiroz, Vice President of Product Management, Chromecast
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