Chrome tests feature that may extend battery life by up to 2 hours

There is an experimental feature in early Chrome 86 builds that will help address a common issue that laptop users face. It could save you up to two hours of battery life on a browser known as a battery hog. It'll reduce energy use by closing unnecessary JavaScript timers and trackers when a tab is open in the background. It's being reported that it can save two hours of battery life in a test with 36 background tabs and one black foreground tab open. That might seem like an extreme case, but some people do have that many tabs open.

As expected, the gains aren't quite that extreme if you're streaming a YouTube video there. The feature will reportedly be available both on the desktop and mobile. But it isn't known if it'll be ready by the time the new Chrome version is out. Or Google might scrap the feature. We'll keep you posted for any updates.

Source: TheWindowsClub, Via: Engadget

Google Chrome introduces tab groups in beta version

It's a common occurrence to have one too many tabs open on Google Chrome. The company is finally doing something to help you organize your tabs. Chrome's beta version is getting "tab groups," which you can organize, label, and colour-code. The stable release will come starting next week. If you have access to the new feature, right-click on a tab and select "Add tab to group." You will then be given an option to choose an existing group or create a new one, which you will need to name and label. You can even use emojis to add to your labels. Google says the rollout will be done slowly to make sure it doesn't affect Chrome's stability and performance. So, you'll have to be a bit patient if the feature doesn't make its way to you immediately.

Source: TechCrunch

Microsoft Editor takes on Grammarly

Microsoft has its answer to Grammarly. The company recently introduced Microsoft Editor, its AI-powered writing assistant, which supports 20+ languages. It works as a browser add-on on both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. If you don't want to spend to use Microsoft Editor, there is a free version that offers basic features like checking spelling and basic grammar on Word, Outlook.com, and anywhere else on the web. 

Now, if you have a Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscription, you are offered more advanced grammar and style refinement suggestions that help you with things like clarity, use of formal language, conciseness, and vocabulary suggestions, among other things. The add-on is already available on the said app stores, so if you want to give it a try, you can do that right now.

Source: MSPowerUser

Google will not release new features to Chrome, Chrome OS to maintain stability

With millions of people adjusting to working from home, including Google's own employees, the company decided it won't be releasing new features to both Chrome and Chrome OS to make sure the software will run without any issues. Chrome's development team also acknowledged in a tweet that its "adjusted work schedules" also influenced the decision to stop releasing upcoming versions of both the browser and its operating system.

The tweet also said, "Our goal is to ensure they continue to be stable, secure, and reliable for anyone who depends on them." They also emphasized that they will prioritize security updates. It makes sense to pause upcoming releases because unforeseen bugs might cause problems that might not be easy to resolve. Users don't need the additional stress these problems might cause.