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"Google has announced the launch of Chrome Apps today in a bid to establish the Web browser as more of a platform in itself.\r\n\r\nThe new apps are similar to what the Chrome Web Store already offers, but instead of launching in the usual looking browser, it launches sans address bar and navigations buttons, essentially making them look and feel more like desktop apps you're used to using on PCs or Macs.\r\n\r\nChrome Apps also work offline without an internet connection, so there's no need to stay connected if you really don't need to or really can't.\r\n\r\nThe Chrome Apps can be launched directly from the desktop too, using the Chrome App Launcher that will be automatically installed the first time you download a Chrome App.\r\n\r\nWhile they're built mostly using standardized Web technologies, there's also some Chrome-specific coding in there too, so they'll only play nicely with the Chrome browser.\r\n\r\nSome of the Chrome Apps available to download now include 500px, Pixlr Touch Up, The Economist, Pocket, Wunderlist, Gliffy and Google Keep, among others. There are also games like Cracking Sands,\u00A0Tank Riders,\u00A0Spelunky,\u00A0They Need to be Fed.\r\n\r\nAs they act more like desktop apps, they can also plug into and access devices connected to your computer\u00A0like its storage, camera, ports, Bluetooth connection and other hardware features.\r\n\r\nThe move could be seen as acknowledgement from the company that its Chromebook devices and Chrome OS could have been slightly ahead of their time in trying to provide permanently connected devices, although Google did later add offline functionality for some Chrome apps.\r\n\r\nNonetheless, in trying to get the public at large used to installing software in a similar way they would with desktop operating systems or on their phones, but in a browser, there's no doubt that with Chrome Apps Google certainly hasn't given up on the idea of having a fully-fledged platform beyond Android.\r\n\r\nFor now though, Chrome Apps will only work on Chrome for Windows or Chrome OS.\r\n\r\n\u27A4\u00A0Chrome Blog\r\n\r\nFeatured Image Credit - AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/09/05/google-chrome-becomes-a-true-platform-with-todays-launch-of-chrome-apps/>