Google to bring a built-in ad filter into Chrome next year

In hopes to clean up its browser of “annoying or intrusive advertisements,” Google is creating its own ad filter for Chrome in the coming year. The company doesn’t want to call it an ad blocker as it will just block any pages that have ads that don’t meet Chrome’s guidelines. Examples are videos that auto-play with sound or interstitials that take up an entire screen. Sridhar Ramaswamy, the executive in charge of Google’s ads, says that even ads “owned or served by Google” won’t be exempted. The filter will work for both mobile and desktop. They will introduce a tool that can help publishers determine if the ads they have on their site are in violation of Chrome’s guidelines.

In concept, the idea of an ad filter can be used for good. It’ll help improve performance, since bad ads are known to make browsing slower and more annoying to users—giving you a better experience online. But this also puts into the hands of Google, an ad company, a whole lot of power over what ads we can or can’t see. It can put publishers in a bit of a bind as well as help cement Google’s dominance. But Ramaswamy says their goal is to make online ads better. “We believe these changes will ensure all content creators, big and small, can continue to have a sustainable way to fund their work with online advertising.” But again, we still can’t help but think about the implication of this move.

Google Chrome gets rid of annoying page jumps in new update

If you’ve found yourself scrolling through a website and have it jump right back to the top once a slow loading element loads, then we have to say you’re not alone. Google is fixing an annoying effect that happens when you’re reading in Chrome.  Called scroll anchoring, this new feature helps avoid those incidents from happening, especially when browsing on a phone. The update will lock the content you’re currently looking at on screen and will no longer jump when elements on the page load. This means it’ll keep you in the same spot so you can continue reading. One other issue this addresses is you won’t suddenly be clicking on links you haven’t intended to when the page jumped. You can see how it works in the clip above.

Source: BGR

Shout is like Pocket with a few extra perks

A new Chrome and iOS app ups the ante on what read-it-later app Pocket can do. Called Shout, the app lets you gather online content—and it isn’t limited to news articles either. You can include everything from lectures, videos, to PDFs. The stuff you gather will be arranged into coherent lists and can be kept private or be shared publicly on Shout. The app even has its own discovery feature if you want to look for new content. Shout even allows for collaboration so others can include items into your lists and help you create email digests. While not customizable, these can then be forwarded to anyone following the newsletter.

Source: The Next Web

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