Google Chrome is getting touch-friendly

Google's Chrome browser may be preparing to be friendlier with tablets and touchscreens, if its early-test (Canary) build is any indication.

 

The latest Canary build has a new slide-to-navigate feature that lets one swipe left or right to go backward and forward on web sites, tech site The Verge reported.

 

"Pinch-to-zoom also appears to be something Google is experimenting with too, thanks to an 'enable pinch scale' option in the Chrome Canary flags," it said.

 

It added the slide-to-navigate feature is "almost identical" to a similar feature in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 for its touch-friendly Windows 8.

 

For Windows 8, Google is also fully supporting the onscreen keyboard in the desktop version by displaying it when one taps the address bar or text boxes.

 

Touchscreen Chromebook

 

The Verge said the new features come in handy with Google's new touchscreen Chromebook Pixel and Windows 8 devices.

 

While Google released a "Metro" version of Chrome for Windows 8 last year, it was mainly a container for Chrome.

 

"These new features in testing, albeit minor, will certainly help make Chrome a lot easier to use on modern hardware," it added.

 

A separate report on PC World noted Microsoft has actively been tuning Internet Explorer for touch.

 

"All the new features found in Chrome Canary are already in the modern UI version of IE10, which is a solid enough browser, but sports one critical flaw: You can't use it unless the desktop version of IE10 is your default browser," it added. — TJD, GMA News