[Update: Flag available in Chrome OS 72 Dev] Chromebooks and tablets will get an option to show the tablet-optimized version of a website


Viewing the full web is one of the great parts of using a Chromebook, but sometimes the full web doesn't feel quite so full - especially if you're exploring it with a touchscreen. Much of the internet remains poorly-optimized for touch, and desktop websites are still, first and foremost, designed for point-and-click experiences. With the launch of the Pixel Slate, Google's senior product manager for Chrome OS, Kan Liu, confirmed to me in an interview that the company is aware that not all websites are going to be a great fit for a touchscreen. To address that, an upcoming release of Chrome OS for tablets and touch-enabled Chromebooks will add the option to render the mobile version of a webpage.
In the upcoming release, we are also introducing “Request tablet site” in Chrome on Pixel Slate, and with more and more touchscreen devices out there we fully expect the web to continue evolving to be more touch-friendly as well.
While it does essentially confirm that a Chrome tablet may not always be the best way to browse the web, it's good that Google is acknowledging that's the case instead of simply making users put up with it. After all, some desktop websites just don't cooperate with touch input, with wildly out of control scrolling, impossible to hit touch targets, and unpredictable scaling. With this new toggle, you'll basically be telling that website you're an iPad - which could make things a lot easier to stomach (and, potentially, improve performance).
Liu didn't confirm which "upcoming release" he was referring to, but I have to expect this is a sooner-rather-than-later kind of feature, as Google is rushing to polish up the experience on its new Pixel Slate tablet - likely one of the first devices that will be getting this new toggle. And the one that probably needs it the most.
Flag available in Chrome OS 72 Dev
According to About Chromebooks, the option to view web pages in tablet-optimized form is available in the latest Dev Channel update. Chrome OS Dev 72 includes the flag #enable-request-tablet-site that turns the feature on.
With the flag enabled, and after a restart of your machine, the 'Request Tablet Site' option will appear within the three-dot overflow menu in the top right of your Chrome window. It's important to note that this will only work should the site you're on offer a mobile-optimized version that can be displayed.
As pointed out in the comments, this flag isn't exactly new, but perhaps it wasn't available for the Pixel Slate at launch.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Linktree’s free workaround lets you add multiple links to your Instagram bio

Image
Instagram only gives you one opportunity to link to outside resources inside its photo sharing platform. This might not be a problem for a majority of the users, but for those wanting a little more customization and even more options, it leaves much to be desired. Enter  Linktree , a free tool for Instagram designed to improve traffic to your outside link, be it a blog, portfolio, or store. How it works is fairly straightforward. After connecting Linktree to your Instagram profile, you’ll receive a single link to place in your Instagram bio. Once that link in place, you can customize what it’s linked to within your browser, be it a single website, or a collection of sites you’re looking to direct followers to Say you’re a photographer who’s using Instagram as a marketing tool for your wedding photography. Using Linktree, you can direct Instagram followers to your blog, your portfolio site, and even your other social media accounts. Until now, you would’ve been stuck choosing b
Read more

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE PIXEL 4, THE MOST-LEAKED PHONE EVER

Image
Google’s  Pixel 3 might have been the  most-leaked phone in history . Long before its unveiling, we knew practically everything about it from unboxing videos, photo comparisons, even a full review of the device. Surely, for the Pixel 4, Google would clamp down on leaks to leave some surprises for its debut on  October 15th , right? Let’s just say, if that was the plan, it didn’t exactly work out. We’ve now seen the Pixel 4 XL from every angle and in three different colors. At least seven different sources have touched this phone, many of them confirming the same specs. We not only know which cameras it’ll have, but also what they may be capable of, including air gestures (go figure). That doesn’t even count information Google has already shared  on purpose. So if you want to know almost everything about the Pixel 4 nearly a month before it’s announced, buckle up. We’ve sifted through all of the rumors and information we can find to compile everything we know — and everything we
Read more

Our favorite iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad in 2018

Image
As 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to look at some our favorite apps of the year. While not all of these are brand new, many of them popped up onto our radar for the first time in 2018, and are definitely worth the attention. Others are some of our favorites that are still best-in-class despite having been around for some time now. We aim to do things differently at TNW, and as such you’re not going to find the recommendations you’re probably used to seeing: Gmail, Skype, Dropbox, and the like. Instead, we want to focus on the best-of-the-best that you may not have heard of, and others that are just special enough to warrant a mention. As always, we’d encourage you to share some of your favorites in the comments below, or on Facebook. Enlight Pixaloop (Free Pixaloop  is one of my favorite apps on the market. Unlike typical image editors that allow you to remove red eye or apply a filter, Pixaloop allows you to create stunning photo animations with a few clicks on your
Read more