Chrome

As if ads weren't bad enough, some less conscientious site owners have learned to misuse and abuse one of the modern Web's features that, on their own, could actually be benign. But just like notifications on your phone, webpage notifications have not only become a nuisance, some have even become dangerous. In its efforts to make the Web a better place and make ads look less devious, Google is pushing a new feature in version 86 of Chrome that will block sites that use notifications to display abusive and misleading content.

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Acer revealed new TravelMate laptops, a Chrome Spin, and a Chromebox machine all ready to roll for business in 2020. Three new TravelMate notebooks were revealed with with 11th Gen Intel Core processors, 4G LTE, and MIL-STD 810G military durability standards made with "commercial users" in mind. The Chromebook Spin 513 and the Chromebox CXI4 were revealed with both standard and Enterprise editions.

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The US government is preparing to make its case in courts over Google's alleged anti-competitive practices, particularly on the Internet. While it may already have its arguments prepared, the Justice Department may still be considering what steps it will require Google to take, presuming it wins its case. One of those may be to split up the company, which is already just a subsidiary of the bigger Alphabet, which includes selling off the most-used web browser in the market, Chrome.

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Even with the advent of two-factor authentication or 2FA, biometrics like fingerprint scanners, and password generators, users still stick to the easier but also less simple passwords they've developed habits with. Like any habit, good or bad, it's harder to break one than it is to change or modify one. So instead of forcing users to change their password use completely, Google is bringing new password management and security enhancements to Chrome on Android and iOS that desktop users of the browser have been enjoying for quite some time now.

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This week Google held its annual big Fall event with devices like the Google Pixel 5 and the new Nest Audio. In this event they revealed the newest iteration of their smart TV platform, Google TV, built on Android TV. They also revealed that they have another Google Pixel 4a - this time with 5G and a surprisingly different bit of industrial design.

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Today we're taking a peek at Google's newest iteration of their smart TV experience. This new version is called Google TV, not to be confused with the old product (also called Google TV, defunct for quite a few years now), this new Google TV system is built on Android TV, making the best of the features that work, and modifying and improving those that have not worked to Google's satisfaction.

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First, it was Chrome Apps. Now, it seems that Chrome browser extensions are the next targets of Google's Chrome Web Store cleanup. While extensions aren't going away completely, there might be a great culling in the coming months all the way to February next year when Google completely disables its built-in payment system that would force paid Chrome extensions to use their own payment system or, more likely, to disappear or die out.

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Web technologies have grown at an impressive rate and degree in the past years but there are still some things that they can't easily do compared to their native counterparts. Part of that is due to the very nature of web browsers that try to sandbox web pages and web apps as much as possible to prevent malware from getting through. The other is that the Web revolves around standards that have to be agreed on first.

As one of the Web's biggest stockholders, Google has been doing a rather delicate dance to address both, and Chrome 86 is adding more tools to developers' belt to make web apps just as feature-rich as native.

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Despite having the lion's share of the browser market, Google Chrome is also notorious for being a battery and resource hog. That is especially true when you have dozens of tabs open but that is exactly how many Chrome users roll. Since it's more difficult to force people to change their browsing habits without sending them packing to a competing browser, Chrome is, instead, rolling out new features that will hopefully make the tabbed life easier or at least more bearable.

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Holding the majority of the web browser market on almost all platforms puts Google in the prime position to push for (some would say dictate) good web practices. It has helped push website owners to use secure HTTPS, get rid of invasive and abusive ads, and adopt designs and technologies that speed up and improve users' browsing experiences. Of course, not all are falling in line with Google's campaigns, especially those that don't really care much for Chrome. To further encourage adoption, it is introducing a new badge of honor for some compliant sites and will be penalizing those that continue to put users at risk.

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Chrome may have the lion's share of the web browser market but it's definitely not for being the most power-efficient option in the market. In fact, Google's browser has become notorious, both warranted and exaggerated, for quickly draining a laptop's battery. Google has been trying to fight off that stigma, both in marketing and on a technical level, and an upcoming feature might add to its growing list of battery-saving features that will hopefully keep some websites from draining your battery dry.

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As the makers of the world's most-used web browser and search engine, Google has taken upon itself to come up with and enforce policies that will protect users against less conscientious people on the Web. As the makers of the world's most-used web browser and search engine, however, the company is also often accused of pushing its own agenda with these new policies. Even something like hiding a website's full URL has gotten a bit negative feedback but Google assures that it's doing it to protect unwitting users from harm.

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