A main effort at Google’s headquarters has been to bring all the technology from desktop browsers to mobile browsers. Mobile devices are less powerful, have had less compatibility with APIs and lacks other forms of support. This is slowly changing, and the result can be witnessed through the latest Chrome Experiment – A Journey Through Middle Earth.
Middle Earth is the land of the fantasy book/movie series The Hobbit. You can learn all about the land and what lies in it via this touchscreen-optimized multimedia experience. The Chrome experiment is filled with maps (which you can walk around), images, video and even sound; all interactive and at the reach of your fingertips. It’s really part game, part storybook and part Middle Earth guide.
What makes this so special? A Journey Through Middle Earth is made specifically to work with smartphones, tablets and touchscreen computers. All of this straight from the browser, including Chrome for Android. It’s impressive to see so much compatibility now available for a smartphone browser!
As mobile Chrome browsers gain more support, they will be able to match the desktop experience and even improve upon it. Chrome for Android recently gained support for WebGL, WebRTC and Web Audio. These, and other technologies allow for this Chrome Experiment to be as interactive as it is. Really, it has features that just recently only native apps were able to accomplish. Google is taking mobile browsing to a whole other level!
“The cinematic part of the experience was built with just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.”
Go ahead and check it out! It is very immersive and interactive. I literally had to pull myself out of there to get myself to write this. Enjoy!
