Advertisement

Gadgets: Google brings Chrome to Android devices

February 18, 2012 at 9:22PM
A product shot the G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 for the iPad, in an undated handout photo. The sleeve, like other G-form products, is made of "rate dependent material," which is a kind of soft foam that hardens temporarily under impact, creating an instant protective shell. (Handout via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH STORY SLUGGED CIR-GEEK-NOTES. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED.
A product shot the G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 for the iPad, in an undated handout photo. The sleeve, like other G-form products, is made of "rate dependent material," which is a kind of soft foam that hardens temporarily under impact, creating an instant protective shell. (Handout via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH STORY SLUGGED CIR-GEEK-NOTES. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. (Associated Press - Nyt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

For years, people looking for a real browsing experience on Android phones and tablets have been left pecking through something Google called "Browser" -- an open-source-based browser that wasn't quite horrible but wasn't quite great, either. Now, for a lucky few, Google's own browser, Chrome, is available on Android devices, and it's a very nice upgrade.

First, the good news: Google Chrome is a considerable improvement over the old browser and features a "stack" system for collecting and sorting Web pages. It supports tabbed browsing on larger screens and the stacks let you organize pages on a phone or minitablet.

There is also an "incognito mode" for hiding your browsing history as well as improved page rendering. I found the whole experience a bit snappier, and I really liked the ability to synchronize tabs and bookmarks among various devices and desktops using a single Google log-in.

Now, the bad news: Chrome works only on Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich, and it's available only in test mode, so there are still a few bugs. There are no plans to port it to the iPhone or iPad, either.

It is definitely a solid upgrade from the standard Android browser, and it should arrive for newer Android phones and devices as it reaches a more stable state.

FOR IPAD, A SOFT CASE THAT STILL PROTECTS

Extreme Sleeve 2, $70,

www.g-form.com

The G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 for the iPad looks like something a budding X-Man carries homework in, as it's made from a polymer that could come from the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

The sleeve, like other G-Form products, is made of "rate dependent material," which is a kind of soft foam that hardens temporarily under impact, creating an instant protective shell.

Central to the protection is a polymer called Poron XRD, a foam generically classified as a rate-dependent material. That means the material behaves differently depending on how quickly it is compressed.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Poron foam is a collection of fluid molecules, until it is struck. Then the energy of the impact causes the molecules to freeze into a hard protective shell that radiates across the surface of the foam. Once the impact has dissipated, the foam returns to its original squishy state.

G-Form's innovation has been to bond the Poron to an outer layer of scuff-resistant material and a inner layer of soft material that won't scratch screens and cases. The foam is tough but not impervious. It is more effective against blunt force than penetration.

NEW YORK TIMES

about the writer

about the writer

Advertisement
Advertisement

To leave a comment, .

Advertisement