Google is showing some love to the desktop version of Chrome (Windows and ChromeOS). For the Chrome notifications, it appears that they’re adopting the same Google Now style aesthetics as they did with the new Google+ design. Say what you will about the mechanics, but there’s no denying the visual appeal.
Google is slowly but surely adapting the visual style to fit within all of its native apps. Google Play, Google+, Google Now and even Google Drive have all seen unique design implementations. It was only a matter of time before Google expanded the visual style to other platforms.
The new feature is called “rich notifications,” and according to Google they work just like Google Now’s info cards. When something of note happens, Chrome will now alert you through stylized notification cards at the bottom right corner of the screen. Needless to say, they are clean and attractive. Notifications have always been around for Chrome, but they’ve just been completely redesigned.
The notifications can be activated by Chrome apps and extensions even when you’re outside the browser window. Essentially, this keeps you up to date on the action even when you’re doing something else on your desktop. Google says that the notifications support both formatted text and images, which means just like the advanced Android notifications added in 4.1 (Jelly Bean) the Chrome notifications can also include direct actions.
A notification center has also been implemented to keep track of any alerts you missed while away.
In the Chrome settings menu you can disable notifications for each app or extension individually just in case you want some “peace and quiet.”
Currently, the new notification features are available in the Chrome Beta which you can download and try by visiting this link. Of course, the features will roll out to regular users eventually, but there’s no mention of a definitive date. Furthermore, we’re not sure if Google will implement something similar for the mobile and tablet versions of Chrome.
Google showed off the new notification features via the Google Chrome blog earlier today. What do you think of the design? Are you excited to see the revamped notification support for Chrome? Will you use the Google Now themed notification cards or will you disable them completely when they arrive?
Via Google