With WebGL, DeviceMotion Events, Media Source Extension support

Aug 23, 2013 06:36 GMT  ·  By

Google has made available for download a new flavor of the Chrome Beta browser for its Android users, namely version 30.0.1599.17, and has packed it with some appealing features inside.

One of the most important enhancements in the new release is enabling WebGL by default on smartphones and tablets that feature high-end mobile GPUs. WebGL is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 3D graphics and 2D graphics.

Additionally, the new browser release comes with DeviceMotion Events, which are part of the Device Orientation API in Chrome Beta, and which have been designed to offer info about device acceleration and rotation rates.

The MediaSource API, which enables JavaScript to generate media streams for playback, allowing for adaptive streaming and time-shifting live streams, is now enabled on Jelly Bean and higher devices.

Furthermore, there is support for new APIs in Chrome Apps, including webview.request, media gallery write support, and downloads, Google says.

The release notes for the new Chrome Beta for Android also include:

- Search by image: Long press on any image and select the option to search Google for content related to that image

- Easy access to tab switcher: Drag down from the toolbar to enter tab switcher

- Draggable menu: Simply drag your finger to select the menu item you need

- Side swipe on toolbar to switch tabs: You can now switch tabs by swiping left or right on the toolbar. To avoid accidental interaction with page content, we have disabled tab switching using side swipe on page content area

- Easy zoom gesture: Zoom into your preferred magnification on any desktop web site by double tapping on the page and swiping your finger up-down without lifting it

Users interested in downloading and installing the application should keep in mind the fact that it is a beta release, which still packs a series of issues that might plague the overall experience with it.

Download Chrome Beta 30.0.1599.17 for Android