windows Chrome browser update tracks noisy tabs, acts more like Chrome OS

sincity · January 15, 2014

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Google continues to update Chrome with common sense features that its internet browsing rivals return a 404 Not Found error over, like the ability to see which tabs are playing sound.

The latest version of Chrome launched today with a speaker visual cue that appears in the righthand portion of the tab whenever, say, a YouTube clip is blaring audio.

It's also easy to track down which tabs are using your webcam or being cast to a bigger screen via the Chromecast tab extension thanks to a red record icon and blue screencasting icon.

Two months ago, the Chrome beta premiered these helpful tools to developers and early adopters, and now they're available to everyone using Google's browser.

Three months ago, the company enhanced the Chrome beta's malware-blocking software and added ability to create supervised users for family members. Both features exited beta today as well.

Chrome OS-like Windows 8 Metro mode

Google is also giving Windows 8 users a taste of Chrome OS with a Metro mode redesign that takes on the look and feel of its standalone operating system.

It features a new Chrome Metro default interface and an integrated app launcher. Users can easily access an app-filled taskbar at the bottom and also manage multiple Chrome windows.

This W8 Chrome Metro redesign confirms earlier reports that Google was building a version of Chrome OS to sit within Windows 8.

By giving Microsoft users a taste of its open-source operating system and making its hardware like the Samsung Chromebook dirt cheap, Google may succeed with Chrome OS after all.