On August 2, Google officially released version 104 of the Chrome browser. The Chrome browser will automatically install updates on the device. Users can click the “three dots” icon in the upper right corner -> Settings -> About, so you can see that the Chrome browser automatically checks and installs available updates.
We know that the general browser will load the entire page at one time after opening, and now the browser or website will start to become “lazy loading”, which means that some content will only be loaded when it is allowed (seeing). come out. But like Chrome browser page content needs special permission to load. It is understood that Google is testing an experiment called “LazyEmbeds”, which allows browsers to automatically delay loading some embedded content without page requests. And this experiment will also start in Chrome version 104.
This update includes improved battery life, page loading experiments, improved screen sharing tools, and minor UI changes for Chromebooks. Let’s go through them one by one.
In order to extend battery life, the Chrome browser team has been testing the “Intensive Wake UpThrottling” feature since Chrome 86 version two years ago. It is said that at that time, because Google found that most web pages will execute Javascript Timer (JS Timer) in the background, and the program will always wake up the paging, although the CPU usage is very low, but because of too many times, it consumes a lot of CPU resources and affects the battery of the device of endurance. In order to solve this problem, the Chrome team developed the IntensiveWake Up Throttling mechanism, which allows the page to enter the background for five minutes to limit the frequency of JS Timer wake-up. This mechanism reduced the device’s CPU usage by five times, extending its battery life by 1.25 hours, so Intensive Wake Up Throttling became the default feature in Chrome 88.
In Chrome 103, the Chrome team started to test the improved Quick Intensive Timer Throttling function. This time, it is similar to the previous Intensive Wake Up Throttling. It still limits the JS Timer to wake up paging once per minute, but this time the original 5 minutes will be used. It is shortened to 10 seconds, and now the execution frequency of JS Timer will be switched from once per second to once per minute after the webpage enters the background for 10 seconds. Experiments have shown that Quick Intensive Timer Throttling can reduce CPU usage time by 10%, effectively extending battery life.
Through the update, Google Chrome browser has also developed a technology for area capture of web applications, this feature is called “area capture”. Users can select any part of the screen that they want to use through “area capture”, and Google says that this technology can bring great help to users when using video conferencing.
Chromebooks will have a new Start Menu. Google spent a lot of time revamping the Chrome OS interface, the biggest change being the application Launcher. Compared to before, the Launcher is now a bit like the Windows Start menu, in the corner of the screen, with a Google search bar and Assistant shortcuts at the top, which users can sort by right-clicking or tapping and holding anywhere.
In addition, Google has designed automatic light and dark themes for Chromebooks. However, this feature is currently not stable, and the theme does not automatically switch. Themes used to be available when users used a feature flag, but today Chromebooks have their own unique light and dark themes like Windows and macOS.
Not only that, but Google has also revamped the system notification bar on Chromebooks. Chrome OS 104 puts the date in the system notification shade, and adds a new calendar widget and an area that shows the clock, battery, and Wi-Fi. The position of the clock is now separated, the date is on the left, a calendar widget appears when the user selects a date, which can be selected to open in Google Calendar by clicking on the date, and the notification design has been changed.
There are five new additions to the official version of Chrome 104. First, Secure Payment Confirmation now supports users making future purchases without storing their credit card data. Second, the limit will be 400 days when the cookie is set to the explicit Expires/Max-Age attribute. The third object-view-box attribute allows the author to select a portion of an image to draw within the content box of the target replacement element. Fourth, the Fullscreen Companion Window feature now supports web applications placing fullscreen content and a popup on multiple screens. Fifth, the network bluetooth function can now be controlled through the permission policy.