The new features show more areas where Google is blurring the line between web and mobile apps.
Chrome is becoming a more powerful beast with the ability to beam content to Chromecast and send out detailed push alerts.
The new capabilities are available for developers to add to their sites, thanks to new APIs in Chrome 48. The Chromium blog lays out a new Presentation API, which is allows you to show off Chrome content through a Google Cast-enabled device (like an Android TV or Chromecast).
While Chrome has been able to send notifications since version 42, developers can now add in custom buttons for deeper interaction (pictured).
Google says that Chrome regularly delivers 350 million push notifications every day. Along with these features, there are several new APIs for developers to get their hands on, so it will be interesting to see how Chrome evolves from this release. To try this out, you’ll need to grab Chrome Beta from the Play Store.
The impact on you: Chrome’s beta build is the testing ground for new features. While sometimes they’re a little rough, you can get an idea of where Chrome is headed by running the beta browser on your Android device. The good news is you can run it side-by-side with the stable build, so if things get too wonky you can head back to safety.
For comprehensive coverage of the Android ecosystem, visit Greenbot.com.