Use: Efficiently develop desktop apps that will work seamlessly across operating systems/devices with or without an Internet connection
Google’s Chrome team has developed a Web-app technology that sits on top of, but is not dependent on the, Web browser and works across operating systems (currently Windows and Chromebooks, but reportedly coming for Mac, iOS, Linux and mobile platforms as well. The technology is built with HTML5, JavaScript and cascading style sheets.
According to ReadWrite: “Chrome Web Apps open in their own windows, not the browser. But these apps will work offline and can use hardware (memory cards, cameras, drives) connected to the device they’re running on—something that traditional Web apps can’t do. The browser itself doesn’t even have to be running, although the apps will tap into its native functionality.”
While many publishers are developing HTML5-based sites that provide app-like capabilities on any browser, the Chrome Web Apps — because they open outside of the browser and don’t require an Internet connection — feel more native-app like. Of course, users will have to install the Chrome browser on their desktops for the technology to work.
More:
ReadWrite: A New Google Technology Aims To Make Apps Run Everywhere—Well, Almost
Information Week: Google Debuts Chrome Web Apps
The Verge: Google’s Trojan horse: how Chrome Apps will finally take on Windows
