Microsoft, Google are working together to bring Chrome to Windows on ARM

Hoping to give Windows on ARM machines a bit more support, Microsoft is working with Google to make the Chrome browser a native Windows on ARM app. Microsoft is trying its luck again by creating Windows 10 on ARM, a line of PCs that run on ARM processors. It didn’t succeed the first time around with Windows RT and how limiting the system is. But this time it can run on x86 programs in an emulator, expanding the range of software the machine can run. But this will, of course, affect performance, so it’s better to develop native ARM apps.

That’s where this new collaboration comes in. Technically, Chrome works on ARM systems, but it doesn’t currently compile properly as a Windows-on-ARM application. 9to5Google spotted various commits by Microsoft engineers helping develop Chrome for Windows 10 on ARM. With the help of Microsoft developers and addressing issues, this can change that. Qualcomm is supposedly helping out as an executive last month said they are working to bring a native ARM port to Windows.

Source: Ars Technica

Chrome update brings support for VR on Android and PC

Virtual reality content is usually accessed through VR-specific apps. But Google has updated its Chrome web browser on the PC and Android to bring VR experiences right from the browser. It now supports WebVR developer tools, meaning you can select a WebVR experience and navigate that either with a finger on your phone or mouse on a desktop or put the phone into a Daydream View to get a more immersive experience. This means, developers and creators can have VR experiences on their sites without the need of a native VR app. It isn’t just for hosting 360-degree videos either but it adds support for Daydream headset and controller, too.

Some of the early partners Google has for this new feature include PlayCanvas, SketchFab, and Matterport. There’s also Bear 71 VR, which is a VR documentary focused on a female Grizzly Bear who roams in Banff National Park in Canada. For mobile VR, it’s currently limited to Daydream but Google is working on bringing this experience to more headsets soon, including its own Cardboard platform.

Source: TechCrunch + Android Authority

Google ports Chrome data compression to PCs

Great news for you bandwidth-conscious users, Google is bringing its mobile data compression used on Chrome for Android and iOS to the PC. The Data Saver (beta) extension works similar to what is done with Google compressing the data on their servers first. This method is said to reduce data consumption of some pages to as much as 50 percent. Like in mobile, it doesn’t intercept SSL-protected or Incognito tabs to protect user’s privacy and security.

Source: Engadget | Download: Chrome Web Store (Free)

Google to offer up to US$2.7 million for people to hack Chrome OS at Vancouver conference

Care to earn some extra cash and in Vancouver this March? Google is opening registration for Pwnium contest this March at CanSecWest security conference to be held in the coastal seaport city. The tech giant uses the Pwnium contest to discover bugs in both the Chrome operating system and browser.

Google will be offering US$110,000 for each exploit satisfying the criteria “browser or system-level compromise in guest mode or as a logged-in user, delivered via a web page.” And $150,000 for those who can “compromise with device persistence: guest to guest with interim reboot, delivered via a web page.” There will also be “significant bonuses for demonstrating a particularly impressive or surprising exploit.” The hacks can be performed on the Intel-based Acer C270 or ARM-based HP Chromebook 11. Registration is open until 5pm Pacific Time on March 10.