Google Chrome Metro app due soon.

By LightShadow
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LightShadow

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Back in March, we began work on a Metro-style enabled desktop browser, a version of Chrome that will run in both the Metro and desktop environments of Windows 8 on x86. (Chrome won?t run in WinRT, i.e. Windows 8 on ARM processors, as Microsoft is not allowing browsers other than Internet Explorer on the platform.) If you?re running the Release Preview of Windows 8, you?ll be able to try Chrome in Metro mode in the next Chrome Dev channel release by setting it as your default browser.

chrome_in_metro.png

The initial releases of Chrome in Metro mode will include integration with the basic Windows 8 system functionality, such as charms and snap view. Over the next few months, we?ll be smoothing out the UI on Metro and improving touch support, so please feel free to file bugs. We?re committed to bringing the speed, simplicity, and security of Chrome into Windows 8, and we look forward to working with you on it.

Source - http://blog.chromium.org/2012/06/try-chrome-in-metro-mode.html

I can't wait for this, and yes, that screenshot is the metro-style mode from the lack of settings among other things.

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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1082655-google-chrome-metro-app-due-soon/
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Grand Master

Ambroos

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They will have to work on those controls to make them touch friendly in size.

They're doing that later on. The harder part is making Chrome work properly with all the Start Screen like Charms and snap view. Adding some bigger icons and including a switch to make some things bigger isn't exactly a challenge.

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Noir Angel

Posted
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I'm not normally one to say this but I hope Microsoft get sued for not allowing non-IE browsers on the arm version of Windows 8. Although I'd never buy a tablet or anything else powered by Metro, I'd hate to be stuck with only IE on any platform.

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George P Global Moderator

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I'm not normally one to say this but I hope Microsoft get sued for not allowing non-IE browsers on the arm version of Windows 8. Although I'd never buy a tablet or anything else powered by Metro, I'd hate to be stuck with only IE on any platform.

*sigh* Who said they don't allow other browsers on the ARM version? Any metro browser will run on it just as it does on x86. What they don't allow are desktop apps on the ARM version.

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Grinch

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I'm not normally one to say this but I hope Microsoft get sued for not allowing non-IE browsers on the arm version of Windows 8. Although I'd never buy a tablet or anything else powered by Metro, I'd hate to be stuck with only IE on any platform.

I thought they only disallowed browsers on ARM for the desktop, not metro. There is nothing stopping them in that case from making a full metro app that doesn't depend on an installed version of Chrome for the desktop.

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LightShadow

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They will have to work on those controls to make them touch friendly in size.

From looking in about:flags on Chromium builds, all that'll happen is like menus and that have bigger clicking space. Navigation buttons are fine for touch.

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Noir Angel

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*sigh* Who said they don't allow other browsers on the ARM version? Any metro browser will run on it just as it does on x86. What they don't allow are desktop apps on the ARM version.

So their browser, mysteriously is available in the desktop but nobody else's is. Still sounds like an arbitrary limitation to me.

I thought they only disallowed browsers on ARM for the desktop, not metro. There is nothing stopping them in that case from making a full metro app that doesn't depend on an installed version of Chrome for the desktop.

Again, a sign of the trend that they're trying to force everyone to go Metro

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Grinch

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So their browser, mysteriously is available in the desktop but nobody else's is. Still sounds like an arbitrary limitation to me.

Again, a sign of the trend that they're trying to force everyone to go Metro

I believe they stated a valid reason for disallowing browsers on the desktop for Windows RT. Cannot conjure it up right this second though.

I personally have no issue with them pushing towards Metro, if I was a developer of something like this I'd do the exact same thing and push people towards it.

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George P Global Moderator

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So their browser, mysteriously is available in the desktop but nobody else's is. Still sounds like an arbitrary limitation to me.

Again, a sign of the trend that they're trying to force everyone to go Metro

There's nothing suspect about it, the simple fact, and technical fact is that the desktop on ARM isn't the same desktop, x86 apps won't run and MS isn't going to customize it or build in compatibility for it, the only apps will be Office and while IE10 for the desktop is there (for now, could change) you're not going to go into the desktop to use the desktop version that's a pain to use with touch on a touch tablet.

If MS allows desktop apps on the ARM version it'll only make a mess of things. The last thing we need, or anyone else, is for people to think they can install any x86 desktop app on the ARM version then turn around and bitch because it doesn't install or just crashes when they try to run it.

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Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

I believe they stated a valid reason for disallowing browsers on the desktop for Windows RT. Cannot conjure it up right this second though.

I personally have no issue with them pushing towards Metro, if I was a developer of something like this I'd do the exact same thing and push people towards it.

If IE can be ran on it, their reasons regardless of how well they have sucked you in are pure bunk.

There's nothing suspect about it, the simple fact, and technical fact is that the desktop on ARM isn't the same desktop, x86 apps won't run and MS isn't going to customize it or build in compatibility for it, the only apps will be Office and while IE10 for the desktop is there (for now, could change) you're not going to go into the desktop to use the desktop version that's a pain to use with touch on a touch tablet.

If MS allows desktop apps on the ARM version it'll only make a mess of things. The last thing we need, or anyone else, is for people to think they can install any x86 desktop app on the ARM version then turn around and bitch because it doesn't install or just crashes when they try to run it.

No, it is exactly the same desktop, just compiled to run on a different architecture. And hell it's not as if software vendors could *gasp* just do the same thing, now, is it?

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George P Global Moderator

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No, it is exactly the same desktop, just compiled to run on a different architecture. And hell it's not as if software vendors could *gasp* just do the same thing, now, is it?

Just because it looks the same doesn't make it the same, each ARM version of Windows RT, and this has been stated officially, has been custom coded to run on specific ARM SoCs since they're not all exactly the same. You really think it's just a matter of recompiling your x86 app to ARM and it'll magically just run?

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+KibosJ Subscriber²

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I really do hope the design for the Metro experience ends up being more than just larger icons and more spacing. I would highly dislike the current Chrome design when in the Metro experience.

Fully agree, it would seem stupidly out of place.

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Noir Angel

Posted
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Just because it looks the same doesn't make it the same, each ARM version of Windows RT, and this has been stated officially, has been custom coded to run on specific ARM SoCs since they're not all exactly the same. You really think it's just a matter of recompiling your x86 app to ARM and it'll magically just run?

Strange, it seems to work for Linux and Android... save perhaps for a bit of custom kernel code tailored to specific device requirements.

I seriously doubt Chrome can magically catch up to IE10 speed.

Seeing as it's already ahead in every test apart from Javascript I'm interested to see what exactly you base that inference on.

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ArialBlue

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Seeing as it's already ahead in every test apart from Javascript I'm interested to see what exactly you base that inference on.

Real world performance with full D2D HWA, scroll smoothness and responsiveness.

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George P Global Moderator

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Strange, it seems to work for Linux and Android... save perhaps for a bit of custom kernel code tailored to specific device requirements.

Funny, and all this time I thought Android apps were written in Java.

Grand Master

jakem1

Posted
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Strange, it seems to work for Linux and Android... save perhaps for a bit of custom kernel code tailored to specific device requirements.

Which is why Android's performance is a joke and nobody wants Android-based tablets. Microsoft have imposed deliberate restrictions to ensure the stability and performance of WoA so they don't end up in the same mess as Google have.

If you want a tablet that allows you to install whatever you want to the desktop then just buy an x86-based tablet.

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