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

Chrome extension lets you read YouTube comments while you watch videos

We’re not sure if it’s a good idea or not but there’s now a Google Chrome extension that’ll let you see comments on YouTube videos while you watch the clips. Product designer David Diamond released the extension called Comment Mode. It’ll show you a scrollable list of the comments the video has gotten. It won’t work automatically for each video, though. You’ll need to press on the Comment Mode icon on each video if you want to see what comments people have been leaving there. Of course, we know there are a lot of toxic and nasty comments left on these video. But if this is how you want to interact with the service or you’re actually having intelligent conversation there (or you’re in it for the laughs), then this might be worth a try.

Source: The Next Web

Chrome extension lets you search and save hidden Netflix categories

Been meaning to look for the hidden categories on Netflix? This Google Chrome extension will help you with your search and even save your favorites for you. Aptly-named as Netflix Categories, the extension adds a button to your Chrome menu bar. When you click on the button it’ll show the list of categories you might not see on Netflix’s site. If you want to search for a specific category, the extension offers a search functionality. You can click on the heart icon to save the ones you like so you’ll be able to see those on top the next time you open the extension. Netflix Categories works even when you don’t have a Netflix tab open.

Source: Lifehacker

Chrome on Android to let you pin websites to your app drawer soon

For a while now you’ve been able to pin websites to the home screen of your Android device. In the “next few weeks,” Google plans to let you pin certain sites to your app drawer, like you would with a normal app. However, this won’t work with all apps as they need to qualify as Progressive Web Apps for this. Once this takes into effect, though, these sites will be given access to Android’s notification settings, too. It’s coming first to the beta version of the app so you might have to wait a bit for it to come to your device—if you aren’t on beta.

Source: The Next Web