Google transforms your browser into a digital easel with Chrome Canvas

By Chuong Nguyen December 21, 2018

Google quietly launched a new doodling app that allows you to draw or take notes right within the browser. Called Chrome Canvas, the app helps showcase the power of the digital stylus that is available on many convertible and detachable laptops on the market today, like the Pixelbook Pen that can be purchased alongside Google’s Pixelbook laptop or Pixel Slate tablet. All you need to do to access the app is to navigate to canvas.apps.chrome in your browser.

The web app will work on the browser in Chrome OS, Windows, and MacOS, so you’re not limited to a Chrome OS-powered device. We tested Chrome Canvas by firing up the Chrome browser on a Windows 10-powered Surface Book, and Google’s new drawing app works as intended. Once Chrome Canvas launched, we were able to doodle using the Surface Pen, or my gliding my finger across the touchscreen. If you’re on a system without support for a touchscreen or stylus — like Apple’s line of MacBook laptops — Chrome Canvas also works with a mouse or trackpad.

The interface for Chrome Canvas is very simple. Users can select a number of pre-defined or custom ink colors and drawing tools include a pencil, pen, marker, chalk, and eraser. With the pen tip, you can also adjust how thick you want the ink flow. Sketches are automatically saved to the cloud on your Google account and you can also export your drawing as a PNG download. The app is great for drawing quick sketches or jotting notes while on the go. Users looking to take detailed notes during a meeting or a class lecture will want to find a more advanced note-taking software that supports handwriting input.

Even though the app has “Chrome” in its name, you can use it with any web browser that supports WebAssembly, like Mozilla’s Firefox browser, Engadget noted.

Chrome Canvas is a basic app and doesn’t come with any bells or whistles — you can check out our guide for some of the best drawing apps on the market today if you need additional functionality — but it does a good job of showcasing what you can achieve on a laptop with a touchscreen and a digital stylus.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Writer

Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…

Computing

Google may have just fixed Chrome’s most annoying problem

A Macbook with Google Chrome opened to a Gmail inbox.

While Google Chrome is one of the best web browsers, over the years it has gained a reputation for being something of a resource hog, gobbling up your PC’s memory like it’s going out of style. That can be a problem if you’re running other resource-heavy tasks and don’t want things to slow down. Now, Chrome has been updated with two new features that cut down on memory usage and extend your laptop’s battery life, according to Google. The changes are set to roll out today with the latest release of Chrome on desktop (version m108).The first new feature, dubbed Memory Saver, is designed to reduce the amount of memory Chrome’s tabs use. It does this by freeing up memory from inactive tabs, and putting them to sleep so they can’t monopolize your system’s resources. When you need to access the tabs again, they will be reloaded and become active. The goal of Energy Saver, meanwhile, is fairly self-explanatory -- helping your laptop battery last longer -- but it does so in a somewhat interesting way. When your battery drops to 20%, Chrome will try to prolong your battery life by “limiting background activity and visual effects for websites with animations and videos.”Presumably, this means Chrome will limit the kind of flashy effects that have made a comeback in web design in recent years. Google says that when these new features launch, users will still be able to customize them to their liking. You can disable either Memory Saver or Energy Saver (or both), and mark certain websites as exempt in Chrome’s settings. The changes could turn out to be important. While Chrome has managed to become the dominant Windows web browser and one of the best browsers for Mac, it has been plagued by poor memory management for years. If Memory Saver and Energy Saver are able to help ameliorate that -- and make your battery last longer too -- then Google might have gone some way to fixing Chrome’s biggest problem. Both Memory Saver and Energy Saver will be launched globally over the next few weeks. The features are coming to Chrome on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS.

Computing

Google is now supporting my awful browser habits, and I love it

Google Chrome opened on a laptop.

Google has just released a new update for Chrome, and it could be a real timesaver if you're anything like me.

I have some pretty bad habits when it comes to how I use my browsers, and instead of forcing me to improve, Google is supporting me. Needless to say, I love it.

Computing

These Chrome extensions will put cash-saving coupons right in your browser

Woman shopping online for best Early Prime Day Deals

You can save time and money this holiday season with just a few clicks, and you don't have to hunt for those coupon codes on your own anymore, either.

If you know you're going to do your holiday shopping online this year via your Chrome browser, why not let a coupon code browser extension help you out? If you need help choosing one for yourself, read on to see our picks for the best Chrome extensions for holiday shopping coupons.
Rakuten