14 DAY TRIAL // The anticipated Google Chrome Web Store is one step closer to becoming a reality with the launch of a developer preview version of the store. The preview is now live and developers can start experimenting with web apps, packaging and using them in Google Chrome.
"Since our announcement of the Chrome Web Store at Google I/O, our team has been hard at work preparing for our launch later this year. Today we’re making the first step towards this milestone by making available a developer preview of the Chrome Web Store," Michael Noth, Software Engineer at Google, announced.
"Developers can now start uploading apps and experiment with packaging them, installing them in Chrome (using the latest Chrome dev channel) and integrating our payments and user authentication infrastructure," he explained.
Don't get too excited yet, it doesn't mean you'll be able to get your hands on web apps just yet, the move is designed to allow developers to test their apps and get accustomed to how the Web Store works.
Developers will be able to upload their packaged apps to the developer preview version of the Web Store through the same dashboard used for submitting extensions to the Chrome online gallery.
The apps will only be visible to the developers themselves, others won't be able to find or install them. Since this phase is meant to test the store for developers and not for end users, this makes sense.
Also for developers, Google has updated some of the documentation for creating web apps for Google Chrome.
Interestingly, Google says that the Web Store, once it goes live for everyone, will completely replace the extension and theme gallery. This will imply several changes for extension creators, including an one-time fee to create their accounts. But it will also enable them to sell their extensions, something they've been unable to do so far.