I love Google Chrome. This wonderful browser is an absolute joy to use and helps me get my daily internet tasks done quickly and efficiently. It’s fast, constantly up-to-date, and relatively lightweight. I use it on my phone, my tablet, my standalone Windows laptop (for cloud printing purposes) and obviously on my Google Chromebook. Plain and simple, Google Chrome gets the job done…period. In my opinion, it is the best web browser around in the market, hands down. I love using it and telling other people about it and urging them to switch to it.
There is one feature that makes Chrome so unique it helps it to be its own OS. That feature is the Chrome Web Apps that run on it. They allow Chrome to do complex photo editing, have a web-based games and more, all from within the browser. If Google Chrome was a joy to use, the web apps that run on it make it even more enjoyable. However, there is one small issue. The issue of flexibility. You see, the key part of the Chrome Web App experience has been the fact that the web apps have always needed the Chrome infrastructure and design to run and function. But, Google has been working hard on changing that.
Just a week ago, Google announced and released their Apache Cordova-based toolkit. This is a pretty important tool because it allows developers to convert their Chrome Web App into apps that work like native apps for Android and iOS. This is a great tool and a concept that allows developers to push their apps further than just Chrome and was quite an undertaking to accomplish. Now if that wasn’t enough, just wait until you hear the latest rumor.
TheNextWeb has come across information that Google Chrome is looking to develop a way for Chrome apps to run independent of the Chrome browser. This is HUGE! Using what has been referenced in a readme for a project named app_shell, Google will hopefully be able to unlock the ability for developers to shell their apps in such a way where they will be able to be packaged up and run without the Chrome browser and yet still use most of the Chrome APIs. Talk about an amazing ability that will allow for some pretty unique and incredible experiences in Chrome.
This ability will bring the developers power to create the code for their app and then package it in such a way where it will function not just in Google Chrome but also on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. This is total platform coverage at its best. The downside to this is that the apps themselves could suffer performance issues, but it could be worth it to some developers to be able to have their apps on multiple platforms starting with Chrome. It’s obvious that Google sees Chrome Web Apps as something important enough to improve on repeatedly. What do you think about the pluses and minuses of Google developing this ability? Please leave your comments in the comment section below or on our social network pages. Android Headlines will keep its ear to the ground for more info on developments in this area. Keep it locked here for your Android and Google news.
Source: TheNextWeb Via: Android Authority