Google Updates Chrome for Android to 16.0.912.77
by Brian Klug on February 24, 2012 5:20 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Update
- Android
- Mobile
- Chrome
- Android 4.0
Google appears to be taking to an aggressive update schedule with Chrome for Android, today releasing a small Beta 1.1 update to the browser. Among the changes are Android Beam support for Chrome, support for additional countries, some system prerequisite checks to ensure requirements for Chrome are met (which might be responsible for breaking compatibility with some custom ROMs), and bug fixes. For the full changelog and known issues, see the source link to the Chrome Releases Blog.
The update bumps Chrome for Android to 16.0.912.77, up from the initial release version of 16.0.912.75. The core version of WebKit stays the same, at 535.7, but V8 takes a minor bump to 3.6.6.20. Thankfully this is all easy to obtain now straight from the About tab on Chrome. The update also doesn't change Chrome for Android's HTML5 score, which is still 343 and 10 bonus points, nor does it change performance in SunSpider 0.9.1 or BrowserMark.
Left - Updated version, Right - Pre-Update
One of the problems with the Android stock browser in the past was that delivering updates to the browser required a full update of the entire OS. Decoupling the browser from the core OS will continue to let Google rapidly improve the browser experience on Android.
Source: Chrome Releases Blog
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EnzoFX - Friday, February 24, 2012 - link
Noooo, "not compatible"V-Money - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
...I just received my unlocked galaxy nexus, now I can download this and play around with it and see how great it is.Deanjo - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
A super minor revision deserves an article? Really?Brian Klug - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
First, this is pipeline, which is designed to be short-form and quick, but more than the usual blogspam or - how fast can you read a press release and reword it - type stuff that others do.Second, I think it's worth investigating whether there are any significant changes in JavaScript and rendering performance, especially because Chrome for Android is basically the new de-facto best browser for that platform. In this case, there aren't any major changes to perf - that alone is still noteworthy, at least to me.
-Brian
Deanjo - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
Changing the oil in my vehicles should get CNN coverage I guess.thoughtsforthemind - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
I for one liked this little post. isn't that what Pipeline is all about? I was wondering why I could suddenly download Chrome Beta for Android on my newly ICS minted Transformer, and now I know why. Thanks!tipoo - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
I still can't tell how Chrome on Android decides if the tab stacks should be horizontal or vertical, it doesn't seem related to the number open. It also has a slower startup than the stock Android browser right now, probably since its not integrated into the OS. It also takes longer than any other app to open up the Swype keyboard in. It needs some work, but the UI is by far the best browser UI on a smartphone IMO.rpmrush - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
For all you whiny weenies claiming, "Big Deal!".....Shut it!This is vastly significant. The Android platform will now have a modern browser that is always up to date despite the shitty carriers.
This is what freedom smells like. This is a positive step. This specific update..maybe not...but 20 chrome updates from now..this milestone will be significant.
foolsgambit11 - Saturday, February 25, 2012 - link
the one thing I love about the stock Browser is that I'm not limited by being on a mobile device. I don't have to suffer being served up the mobile version of a page, with different content, nor do I have to skip out on pages with Flash content.With smartphone screens pushing 5", and at better resolutions than some netbooks, why should I be denied content because of the device I'm on?
webmastir - Sunday, February 26, 2012 - link
loving this new update!