Google has teased that some major Chrome mobile web experience improvements will come with Android L in the autumn.
To make sure it fits in with the new material theme Android L design, the mobile Chrome experience is going to adopt the same feel and theme.
“Websites: they need to work well, they need to look great”, said Google during its I/O 2014 keynote.
The aim is to make sure that your browsing experience will feature a “bold, consistent design that works well across screens”.
It all feels very Google Now like, with material style cards presented for each mobile Chrome search result, with a coloured bar to match that of the content you’ve been searching for. Google’s example used Van Gogh’s painting, The Starry Night, with a deep blue coloured bar.
All the Android L smooth animations have been translated across to the new Chrome too. As you scroll down, headers will shrink into a slim bar that’s still accessible, but doesn’t impede your view of the content, which will be useful for smaller phone screens.
If you want to transition to other search results, that content will “smoothly animate into place”, zooming out and minimising into place in one fluid motion.
With Android L, it’s all about “fast, fluid, continuous animation in 60fps”, even on your web browser.
“We have been working really hard to improve the accuracy and responsiveness of the platform”, and the company added that it has worked to reduce touch latency to make your browsing experience more responsive.
As for multitasking, your Recents menu on the homescreen has been given a material theme makeover.
Not only do your recently accessed apps appear here with the Google Now card style makeover, but Chrome tabs now appear in your Recents menu as individual tab icons.
Even if you access a link within a Google Doc, any of these opened links is then added to your Recents.
Having these individual Chrome tabs is Google’s attempt to make it easier to multitask. Previously you would have had to head to Chrome itself to access your multiple opened tabs, but now they’re right there in your Recents.
Building upon the App Indexing announced last year, Google is opening up the feature to all apps. Web search results will recognise where you have a linked app installed for individual web pages. For example, OpenTable search results will take you to your Open Table app with the associated restaurant immediately presented
Search results will also offer you Google Earth results, or any app that you’ve previously used to search for content. This aims to let you rediscover content easily, if it’s something that you’ve been interested in before.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
