Joining a moment in history through the modern web

Nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a stirring speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the words “I have a dream.” Today, we’re sharing a new way to take part in this historic moment through a web experience developed by our friends at Organic and Unit9, for the National Park Foundation.

Called “March on Washington,” the experience invites you to relive that moment in time by listening to an original recording of Dr. King’s words accompanied by immersive photography from the event itself.

One of the most powerful abilities of the web is that it connects people from all over the world in new ways. In “March on Washington," you can also virtually join this historic event by recording yourself reciting Dr. King’s words. Then, you can play back other participants’ recordings as a crowd-sourced narrative of voices, hearing the timeless message repeated back from people all over the world.

We’re excited to see the modern web enable experiences like “March on Washington” that bring together people and history in new, powerful ways. Head over to wearestillmarching.com on a laptop, phone or tablet to check it out.

Posted by Max Heinritz, Associate Product Manager & Modern Marcher

Searching by image gets easier

Have you ever seen an image on the web and wanted to know more about it?  Well, with today’s Beta release of Chrome you can quickly discover all sorts of content related to an image by right-clicking on it, or by long pressing it on mobile devices, and selecting the option to search for it within your default search provider.

Right-click on an image to use it as a Google search

In Chrome for Android, new gestures make it even easier to get where you want to go.  Swipe horizontally across the top toolbar to quickly switch tabs (this gesture replaces swiping from the edge of the screen).  Drag vertically down from the toolbar to enter into the tab switcher view.  And drag down from the menu to open the menu and select the item you want without having to lift your finger.

Swipe your way between tabs and into the menu

Get Chrome Beta today (for desktop and Android) to give these latest enhancements a test drive. If you are interested in APIs and other developer features we are introducing in this version you can get more details over in the Chromium blog.

Posted by Jianning Ding, Software Engineer & Speedy Searcher

Smarter omnibox suggestions for all

Starting today, all Chrome users will start seeing improvements to omnibox suggestions based on the recency of websites you visited, resulting in more timely and contextually relevant suggestions. Mac users will also receive support for rich notifications, so you can keep up with what’s happening within your apps and extensions. 

And for those nostalgic for the new car smell -- maybe you, too, got overzealous with fun extensions -- we’ve added a new option to the Chrome settings page to let you restore it back to its original state. And don't worry, it won't affect your bookmarks, saved passwords and history. Here’s how to find this option:

1. Click on this icon:
   
2. Select Settings
   
3. Click Show advanced settings
4. And click on the button shown here:

On Chrome on Android, we have improved scrolling and startup performance and are introducing WebRTC support that will enable video conversation directly in the browser without a plugin. Experience it over the coming days as the update rolls out to your device.

Update August 21: edits made to correct what is disabled when opting to restore your Chrome to its original state via the new Chrome settings option. 

Posted by Mark Pearson, Software Engineer and Suggestion Savant