Google enhances Omnibox suggestions in Chrome 29 beta

Google Inc. is rolling out enhanced suggestions for the Omnibox in the updated beta version of its Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome Frame.

In a blog post, Google's Jason Kersey said said they also put in several improvements to Chrome 29.0.1547.22 Beta.

"Chrome 29.0.1547.22 contains many improvements including: improved Omnibox suggestions; a number of new apps/extension APIs; (and) lots of under the hood changes for stability and performance," he said.

The Omnibox is Chrome's all-in-one address bar and search bar.

A separate article on tech site The Next Web said Chrome 29 Beta came a week after the Internet giant released the stable version of Chrome 28.

It said the biggest changes involved adjusting how Omnibox suggestions work on the desktop, and adding WebRTC support on Android.

However, The Next Web said little is said about the omnibox enhancements other than suggestions may be “based on the recency of websites visited, so you’ll get more contextually relevant suggestions at the right time.”

"We assume this means that if you’ve been using Chrome for a very long time, omnibox will tailor its results more to what you’ve used it for in recent days and weeks as opposed to months and years. If you’ve only recently switched to Chrome, you likely won’t notice as big of a difference," it said.

Also, it said Chrome 29 Beta for Android will feature faster page loading, as well as Web Audio and WebRTC support.

It noted the Web Audio API allows Web developers to implement “professional-quality” audio production apps and “modern” game audio engines.

On the other hand, The Next Web noted WebRTC support includes three independent components:

• getUserMedia (provides access to the user’s webcam and microphone),
• PeerConnection (sets up calls with the ability to traverse NATs and firewalls), and
• DataChannels (establishes peer-to-peer data communication between browsers).

"All three have been in desktop Chrome since version 25 beta, and now they’re finally coming to Android today’s release," it said.

But as for Chrome 29's stable edition, The Next Web said it could arrive as soon as August.

It said this may be another big release for Google, since YouTube promised to start implementing VP9 codec support once Chrome can use it. — VC, GMA News