Google Chrome update – World’s most popular browser getting this awesome Pixel 2 feature

Google Chrome fans will get to play with one of the best Pixel 2 features thanks to an upcoming update.

Google Chrome is without a doubt the most popular internet browser in the world right now.

NetMarketShare stats for the whole of last year show Google Chrome as having a staggering 58.90 per cent chunk of the internet browser marketplace.

Its nearest rival, Mozilla’s FireFox, has a 13.29 per cent share while Internet Explorer is on 13 per cent.

Microsoft’s newer Edge browser, which is bundled in with Windows 10, lags behind with a 3.78 per cent market share.

These stats underline how Chrome’s crown as the world’s most popular internet browser is undisputed.

And fans of Google Chrome will be getting an impressive new feature in an upcoming update.

In a new blog post, the search engine giant has revealed they are working on incorporating the Pixel 2’s AR features into the internet browser.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL currently boast a range of augmented reality (AR) stickers.

This lets Pixel fans see digital recreations of Stranger Things characters or Star Wars starfighters alongside their real-world settings.

So, looking at the screen of your Pixel 2 you can see an X-Wing next to your office desk, or the Demogorgon standing in your local Starbucks.

In their blog post, Google said: “In the next few months, there will be hundreds of millions of Android and iOS devices that are able to provide augmented reality experiences — meaning you’ll be able to look at the world through your phone, and place digital objects wherever you look. 

“To help bring this to as many users as possible, we’ve been exploring how to bring augmented reality to the web platform, so someday anyone with a browser can access this new technology.”

The blog post details how the browser-based prototype version of AR, called Article, would work in Google Chrome.

It explains that if Article is loaded on a desktop browser which features a 3D model, then it will be displayed as an interactive image.

This can be dragged and rotated so Google Chrome users can explore the different angles of the 3D model.

While scrolling through a webpage, the 3D model would rotate slightly to indicate it is an interactive image – encouraging users to click on it.

When Article is loaded up on an AR-capable device and browser, and AR button would appear in the bottom right.

Tapping on it would activate the device’s camera, and on screen show a reticle on the ground in front of the user.

When the user taps the screen, the model would appear from the reticle, fixed to the ground and rendered at its physical size.

The user can then walk around the object and get a sense of the scale of the object.

The applications of such a feature would be eye-opening – imagine searching for something on Wikipedia, such as an extinct species.

You could then find an Article-powered interactive picture of it, click on it and then use your device to see a digital recreation of it in front of you.

While the Google blog post showed animations of how Article works, they did not give an indication of when a possible release date would be.

Google added: “There’s vast potential for AR on the web—it could be used in shopping, education, entertainment, and more. 

“Article is just one in a series of prototypes, and there’s so much left to explore—from using light estimation to more seamlessly blend 3D objects with the real world, to adding diegetic UI annotations to specific positions on the model. 

“Mobile AR on the web is incredibly fun right now because there’s a lot to be discovered.”