October 15th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
[Cross-posted on the Google Translate blog]When you’re browsing the web, you might come across a page where some of the text is in a different language. With the new update to the Google Translate Chrome extension, you can translate just that piece of …
October 9th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
When you’re chatting with your friends and family, you want your conversations easily accessible, not buried in browser windows. Today, we’re introducing the Hangouts Chrome App for Chrome OS and Windows — a simpler, faster way to use Hangouts on your computer alongside whatever else you’re doing.
The new app brings the best of Hangouts to your desktop, plus some improvements we think you’ll love:
Keep the conversation going, without taking over your desktop. The app has a streamlined design that keeps your chats accessible without getting in the way of everything else. Your contact list and all your chats are condensed into one easy to toggle window. Also, you’ll get integrated notifications that alert you to new messages, so you can quickly find the conversation you’re looking for.
More app, less Chrome. It works outside of your browser so your chats are always available, not tucked away inside a window. You’ll get all your messages as long as you have the app running, and your chats will sync across Hangouts on all your devices.
Voice calling from your desktop. The app now has all the video and voice features you’re used to in Hangouts. We recently announced you can make phone calls to any number in the world (via Hangouts dialer) and now you can do this right from your desktop. If you use Google Voice, the app includes complete Google Voice support, so you can make and receive calls, and get your voicemails and SMS messages directly in Hangouts.
Download the Hangouts Chrome App today and get started with a new experience tailor-made for your desktop. If you’re already using the Hangouts Chrome extension on your ChromeOS or Windows computer, you’ll also see a promo to try the new app over the next few weeks. To learn more, visit the Hangouts Help Center.
Posted by David Levin, Software Engineer, and the very model of a modern Hangout Handler
October 8th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
You’ve told us you love the photography that shows up on your TV when you’re taking a break from casting videos with Chromecast. But many of you have also told us you want to add your own photos on the screen. Now, you can.
With a new backdrop option, you can customize your TV screen with:
To customize your Chromecast, open the Chromecast app on your phone or tablet and select “Backdrop” from the left menu. Then, choose the topics for types of imagery you want to show up on the TV.
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If a picture sparks your curiosity, you can learn more about it by opening the Chromecast app, selecting “Backdrop” from the left menu and tapping on the card to find out more. Or, simply open the Google app on your Android or iOS device, tap on the microphone icon and ask “What’s on my Chromecast?”
This update is rolling out starting today. Just make sure your Chromecast app is up to date on your Android phone or tablet, iPhone, or iPad. To learn more on how to set it up, visit chromecast.com/backdrop.
Posted by Raunaq Shah, Chromecast Product Manager and Master Caster
September 29th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
[Cross-posted on the Google for Education blog]
Chromebooks are fast, easy to use and secure. They bring the best of the cloud right to your desktop, whether that’s Google Drive, Google+ Photos or Gmail. Today, in partnership with Adobe, we’re welcoming Creative Cloud onto Chromebooks, initially with a streaming version of Photoshop. This will be available first to U.S.-based Adobe education customers with a paid Creative Cloud membership—so the Photoshop you know and love is now on Chrome OS. No muss, no fuss.
This streaming version of Photoshop is designed to run straight from the cloud to your Chromebook. It’s always up-to-date and fully integrated with Google Drive, so there’s no need to download and re-upload files—just save your art directly from Photoshop to the cloud. For IT administrators, it’s easy to manage, with no long client installation and one-click deployment to your team’s Chromebooks.
Head to Adobe.com to apply for access!
September 16th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Chromecast has a little something for everyone in the family to enjoy, and today we’re adding even more options for kids, music lovers and gamers.
For kids of all ages, we’re introducing the WATCH Disney, WATCH Disney Junior and WATCH Disney XD apps. So now you’ll be able to watch Girl Meets World, Doc McStuffins, and Star Wars Rebels on demand from the Disney Android and iOS apps. (To watch live stream of the network or recent episodes, you’ll need to sign in with a participating TV provider account.)
Music aficionados can now cast and blast music from the best speakers in the house with iHeartRadio. The app lets you listen to more than 1,500 live radio stations from all over the U.S. or customize your own.
You can also join 60 million gamers on Twitch to watch and talk about video games. Get insights from both casual gamers and some of the biggest professional players competing in sold out stadiums. Cast Twitch content from the web, Android and iOS apps.
If international dramas are your favorite, look no further than DramaFever to find more than 15,000 TV episodes. Finally, in case you missed it, last month we also added WATCH ABC and NPR One to the Chromecast family. So make sure to update your apps and check out the latest on chromecast.com/apps.
September 11th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Chromebooks were designed to keep up with you on the go—they’re thin and light, have long battery lives, resume instantly, and are easy to use. Today, we’re making Chromebooks even more mobile by bringing the first set of Android apps to Chrome OS:
These first apps are the result of a project called the App Runtime for Chrome (Beta), which we announced earlier this summer at Google I/O. Over the coming months, we’ll be working with a select group of Android developers to add more of your favorite apps so you’ll have a more seamless experience across your Android phone and Chromebook.
In the meantime, please tell us which of your favorite Android apps you’d like to see on your Chromebook.
Posted by Ken Mixter, Software Engineer & Josh Woodward, Product Manager (Android Dreamers)
August 28th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
If you share a computer, click “Switch person” to add your profile and get your own bookmarks, apps, and theme. Switching lets you keep your stuff separate.
With the new “Guest mode,” you can let others use Chrome without letting them see your stuff. And after they’ve closed out their tabs, their browsing information is deleted from your computer as well. To enable Guest mode, click on You (or your name if you’ve signed in) > Switch person > Browse as Guest.
Posted by Roger Tawa, your personal Chrome Engineer
August 14th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
[Cross-posted on the Google Online Security Blog]
You should be able to use the web safely, without fear that malware could take control of your computer, or that you could be tricked into giving up personal information in a phishing scam.
That’s why we’ve invested so much in tools that protect you online. Our Safe Browsing service protects you from malicious websites and warns you about malicious downloads in Chrome. We’re currently showing more than three million download warnings per week—and because we make this technology available for other browsers to use, we can help keep 1.1 billion people safe.
Starting next week, we’ll be expanding Safe Browsing protection against additional kinds of deceptive software: programs disguised as a helpful download that actually make unexpected changes to your computer—for instance, switching your homepage or other browser settings to ones you don’t want.
We’ll show a warning in Chrome whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software. (If you still wish to proceed despite the warning, you can access it from your Downloads list.)
August 11th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Chromebooks were designed for your mobile lifestyle. They’re thin and light, resume instantly, and are easy to use.
Starting today, we’re welcoming a new type of Chromebook into the family, beginning with the Acer Chromebook 13. This new device uses the NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor, so you get the speed you’re used to from Chromebooks with a battery life up to 13 hours. What could you do in thirteen hours?
The Acer Chromebook 13 is available now (with optional touchscreen and 1080p resolution) at Amazon and other online retailers from $279.
Posted by Bill Brougher, Engineering Director & frequent flyer
August 8th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Unless you’re a rocket scientist, you’ve probably never heard the story of the International Sun/Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3) – yet it has had one of the most fascinating journeys in all of space flight. Originally launched in 1978 to study the Sun, it was the first spacecraft in the world to fly by a comet and has been orbiting the sun for billions of miles since 1986. Now, the ISEE-3 is headed back towards Earth and is on its way to becoming the first citizen science spacecraft thanks to a crowdfunded effort called The ISEE-3: Reboot Project.
There’s also a new way for everyone to get involved. In a new Chrome Experiment called A Spacecraft for All, you can follow the unlikely odyssey of the ISEE-3 using Chrome’s interactive WebGL graphics and video. You can re-live its story, read its re-activated data instruments, learn about its current position and trajectory—and explore space along the way. It’s all designed to make space science simple, fun and accessible enough for anyone eager to learn—whether you’re a Ph.D. or grade school student.
The experience will build up to a live event this Sunday, August 10, when the ISEE-3 will fly by the Moon for the first time in decades. We’ll document every second with a live lunar flyby demo, and we’re inviting the entire world to join in. You can follow the spacecraft’s trajectory real-time, along with interviews with the Reboot team, visits from the original ISEE-3 Flight Director, and live data measurements coming directly from space!
Explore the journey of this decorated spacecraft and join us live from the control room on Sunday, August 10 at 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET.
Suzanne Chambers, Executive Producer & Space Cadet, Creative Lab New York
July 24th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
If you’ve typed your password on a tiny on-screen keyboard recently, you know how frustrating it can be. Well, say goodbye to all those “x”s when you meant “c”s. Now with the latest Chrome beta for Android when you’re signed into Chrome, you won’t need to sign in again on Google websites, including Gmail, Maps or Search.
To sign into Chrome, simply click on 
> Settings > Sign in to Chrome.
When you add more than one Google Account to your device, you’ll also be automatically signed in to those accounts on the web. In addition to having your accounts a click away, your bookmarks, passwords, and other Chrome stuff will be kept in sync across your devices, using the account you choose.
July 24th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Today our little one, Chromecast, celebrates a year. We built Chromecast to make it easier for people to enjoy their favorite entertainment from their phone, tablet or laptop on the largest screen in the house—the TV. Since Chromecast launched, people have hit the cast button more than 400 million times to enjoy their favorite sports, music, premium movies and TV shows. We’ve added hundreds of your favorite apps, including WatchESPN, Pandora, Hulu Plus, HBO GO and PBS Kids; announced new features like mirroring your Android device to the TV and expanded to 30,000 stores across 20 countries.
July 9th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Chromecast makes it easy for you to enjoy your favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the house. Starting today, you can mirror your Android phone and tablet to the TV so you can see your favorite apps, photos or anything else, exactly as you see it on your mobile device—only bigger. To start mirroring, simply select “Cast Screen” from the navigation drawer in the Chromecast app and select your Chromecast device. On Nexus devices, this feature is also available through the quick settings menu.
June 19th, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Whether you’re from Croatia, Cameroon or Colombia, chances are you’re cheering on your country’s team as they vie for the ultimate soccer achievement: winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. Now Chromies around the world can get in on the action with Kick with Chrome, a new Chrome Experiment that will help you tap into your inner soccer champion.
June 3rd, 2014 | by Google Chrome Blog | published in Google Chrome
Soccer, fútbol, football, jogo bonito—however you say it, there’s a good chance you’ll be tuning in to watch when the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ kicks off next week. But if you’re not lucky enough to have a ticket to the matches in Brazil, you can enjoy the next best thing right in your living room with Chromecast.
Thanks to our friends at Disney and ESPN Media Networks, you can now cast live sports content from the WatchESPN app if you receive ESPN networks as a part of your cable, satellite or pay-TV subscription from affiliated providers. This means that next week, U.S. soccer fans will have the ability to watch all 64 World Cup games with the tap of the cast button (vuvuzelas not included). Of course, in addition to soccer, you can also cast all of ESPN’s other sports content, from the NBA Finals and X Games to college football.
And if you can’t wait to get your soccer fix, starting today you can cast professional soccer matchups with the MLS Matchday app and MLS LIVE premium services. So get your friends together to watch your local favorites while practicing the new game-day anthem for the U.S. Men’s National Team from the comfort of your couch.
We’re also adding Crunchyroll to the video lineup. Whether you’re a casual anime fan or the hardcore otaku, Crunchyroll is your one-stop-shop with over 25,000 videos and 12,000 hours of Anime, Korean Drama and Live-Action titles. Premium Subscribers can even catch episodes just one hour after Japanese TV broadcast.
You can find all of these great apps in the Play Store and Apple Store, with Chromecast support rolling out over the day. As always, you can explore these apps and more on Chromecast.com/apps.
Posted by Brad Foreman, Chromecast Sports Partnerships Lead and Future Soccer Dad