Chrome Beta gets Customs Tabs, updated Bookmarks & media playback controls.

Many developers nowadays choose to provide early glimpse of their work by making a beta version of their software available for early adopters to test and give feedback. Microsoft has recently done just that through their Windows Insider program during the Windows 10 development. I personally think it is a very good approach to learn what users really want into apps. Google does that too with its Chrome browser. A beta version is available in Google Play Store for early adopters and it got updated today. Chrome Beta 45 for Android includes the following:

• Chrome Customs Tabs
• Updated media playback controls
• Updated Bookmarks interface
• Better logging for feedback reports
• Barrels of bug fixes and performance improvements.

All these new features will find their way in the official Chrome browser in a matter of weeks, so much for those out there who prefer a bug free experience. If however, you are of the geek type, download the beta version in Google Play Store.

Chrome Beta gets pull to reload pages in update.

The latest iteration of Chrome Beta for Android contains an interesting and useful feature. It allows you to pull from the top of pages to reload the page. This addition is handy especially on devices with small screens where accessing the refresh button can be tedious. If you do know what Chrome Beta is yet, it is a version of Chrome for Android that lets you preview and test new features before they get released to the official version of Chrome for Android. It also provides a channel for users to provide feedback and  for filing a bug.

If you want to join the group of early adopters, download Chrome Beta on Google Play store.

Chrome Beta update fixes flickering on HTC One.

Chrome Beta is the app that Google uses to test features before publishing them to the official version of its browser for Android. Since Chrome beta is available for download in the Play Store, early adopters are welcome to download and test those features and give feedback to the team. An excellent way to get various views and experience from users around the world. 

Today's update does not any new features, but include the following fixes:

• 260227: Space missing from suggestions in google.com when query contains a typo
• 272062: Simple Cache heap peaks during index regeneration
• Support for input

Known issues:

• 237839: Blue shadow on edit context menu
• 263870: History search textbox disappears when search term is deleted
• 268896: Samsung S3 - Quitting app,when open new tab while playing mse video
• 261822: Partial white flashes and background border issues during tap-to-zoom
• 266572: Flickering on HTC1

Download: Play Store

Chrome for Android gets full-screen and simplified search.

About a month ago, Google added full screen browsing to Chrome Beta for Android. As stated in this post dated April 11, Search was simplified "so that queries remain visible in the omnibox to make it easy to edit". Fast forward to today and these features have been ported to the official Chrome Browser for Android devices. 

In case you're not aware, there are currently two versions of Chrome in Google Play Store: a beta version and the official version. The former lets users experiment with new functionalities and send feedback. These features usually appear in the official version bug free about a month later. 

If you want to beta test new features before anyone else, download Chrome Beta. Get the official Chrome Browser for Android here.

What's in this version:

• Fullscreen on phones - Scroll to hide the toolbar
• Simplified search - View and refine your query directly in the omnibox
• Tab history on tablets - Long press the browser’s back button to view your tab history
• Several stability improvements

Chrome Beta, Google Goggles & Twitter updated.

Chrome Beta has been updated to 27.0.1453.74. I challenge you to mentally keep track of the version numbering :-)

• 225243: Links opened from other applications that do redirects do not load
• 232878: Video play icon not aligned properly on nbcnews.com
• 235755: Fullscreen tab cropped in tab switcher
• Crash fixes

Known Issues:

• Embedded videos may be jittery on ICS devices
• Typed character gets deleted sometimes on password fields

Check the blog post for more details.

Google Goggles got a simplified user interface. But more interestingly, the app now starts in capture mode. Which makes sense for an app which primary purpose is to initiate a search that's within the camera's focus. The update also fixes an image rotation issue on some phones and some minor crashes.

Twitter finally shows you the global trend near you and around the world. I say finally because other Twitter clients have had this feature for a while. It's never too late to follow the trend. Here's the list of features:

• See what's happening near you or around the world by viewing Trends in hundreds of locations.
• Get quick access to account switching and settings via the menu button.
• Enjoy a smoother experience thanks to bug fixes and other improvements.

Chrome Beta fixes flicker and frequent crashes.

The latest iteration of Chrome Beta for Android does not contain new features but bug fixes only. If you do know what Chrome Beta is yet, it is a version of Chrome for Android that lets you preview and test new features before they get released to the current version of Chrome for Android. It also provides a channel for users to provide feedback and  for filing a bug.

Here's the list of the latest fixes to Chrome Beta:

• 226691: Graphical corruption and blank tabs in tab switcher mode 
• 222805: Most Visited section thumbnails are misaligned in landscape mode for RTL languages
• 228883: Search is still performed via Google when re-submitting omnibox query after switching search engine
• Flicker while opening new tabs
• Fixes for some frequently occurring crashes
• chrome://history sometimes show duplicate items

Known Issues:

• Opening tabs is sometimes slow
• Pages may flicker sometimes, especially during navigation 
• Typed character gets deleted sometimes on password fields

Note that Chrome Beta can be installed alongside Chrome for Android.

Download Chrome Beta in Google Play Store.

Chrome Beta for Android lets you experience full-screen browsing.

In its latest update for Chrome beta, Google added the ability to browse web pages in full-screen. It doesn't require any fiddling in the settings to enable this feature. Simply visit a web page and start scrolling for the toolbar to disappear. This nice update is currently only available for Chrome Beta and I assume will find its way to the Chrome for Android in about a month. 

The update also includes other useful features. Search has been simplified so that queries remain visible in the omnibox to make it easy to edit. Client-side certificate is now supported. This comes in handy when visiting websites that require certificates. Chrome will let you select installed certificates. A nifty feature ported from the desktop for tablets is that you can access and view history by a long press of the Back button.

Check out the post on Chrome Releases blog for more details about the updates, fixes and known issues.

Download: Google Play Store

Skype for Android tablets gets blessed with portrait mode. Chrome Beta updated to 25.0.1364.47.

Never too late. Android tablets are now able to make calls in portrait mode after Skype issued an update yesterday. Since most Android devices defaults to landscape, owners of these devices have complained about the lack of support for portrait mode in Skype. The latter has listened and posted the update that does  bring portrait mode when making video calls only. The default landscape mode remains throughout the rest of the app. The update also contains the usual performance improvements and fixes. New language support has been added for Portuguese, Norwegian and English (UK). Check the notification center on your device to download the update. Note that the update is also available for Android phones. Skype can be downloaded free on Google Play Store.

Have you joined the band of Chrome Beta testers yet? I've been into it for a week or two now and my Galaxy Nexus is still alive. The Chrome team is regularly publishing updates and fixes. Today's update contains the following fixes:

• 143146 - Support for chrome://flags!

Known Issues:

• 169616 - Keyboard pops up after Chrome is closed
• Issues with GMail and Google image search on Galaxy Note II
• 170653 - Scroll position is reset momentarily when double-tapping in footer/gutter on some pages
• Sometimes flickering and graphical glitches are observed while opening new tab
• Frequent freeze on devices with specific versions of Qualcomm GPU driver
• Text autosizing may break formatting on some sites
• Video continues playing after exiting fullscreen on android phones
• [HTC Droid DNA] Getting crash on tabswitcher mode
• 163439 - yahoo.com page links are not working
• 166233 - Cannot submit comments on facebook posts or pictures
• 158633: Tap disambiguation overaggressive

Chrome Beta gets first update already.

Released last week for early adopters and beta testers, Chrome beta for Android today received its first batch of bug fixes. This update contains a number of fixes, including:

• 164632 - Edit Bookmark is broken
• 167351 - Youtube video controls are lost after returning from fullscreen
• 167016 - Some Samsung Galaxy S2 freezes
• 168062 - Double tapping on non-zoomable sites scrolls the page to the top briefly before returning to original position
• 167379 - Sometimes tabswitcher is frozen
• 166998 - Tab content stretched out while returning to it through side swipe gesture
• 168632 - Crash - Stack Signature: TabAndroidImpl::FromWebContents
• 168388 - Sync signed in info text's font size is too small
• 168430 - Bookmark star icon doesn't turn grey/white immediately after bookmarking URL /deleting URL from bookmarks

Known Issues:

• Performance is sluggish, noticeably on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S
• Frequent freeze on devices with specific versions of Qualcomm GPU driver
• Text autosizing may break formatting on some sites
• Video continues playing after exiting fullscreen on android phones
• [HTC Droid DNA] Getting crash on tabswitcher mode
• 163439 - yahoo.com page links are not working
• 166233 - Cannot submit comments on facebook posts or pictures
• 165244 - Text handler jumps or disappears when moving
• 162486 - iframe scrolling broken
• 158633: Tap disambiguation overaggressive
• 169910 - Flickering while opening new tab

Source: Chrome releases

Official Chrome Beta for Android released for early adopters.

Google has released a beta version of Chrome for Android devices that will let users try out the new features before they get released. The beta version will run alongside your current version of Chrome without any problems. However, since this is a beta, expect to see some bugs pop up or other behavior linked to it. 

Google Chrome beta is free for download on Google Play. Make sure you use the link. A search in Google Play will yield no results.

Source: Chrome Blog