Google just launched an update to Chrome for Android that provides the browser with a strengthened sandbox. Google says this will help ensure that malicious mobile sites remain contained and can’t impact the entire browser. It’s worth noting, though, that this enhanced sandbox will only be available to Android 4.1 Jellybean users. All Chrome for Android users (Chrome is only available for Android 4.0+), though, will profit from the additional security fixes and small feature updates in this release. In total, Google paid out $750 to developers who found security issues.
As Google notes, the Chrome sandbox “is made possible by the innovative multi-process architecture in Chrome for Android, in conjunction with Android’s User ID (UID) isolation technology.”
Besides these security fixes, this update also makes a few small changes to how YouTube videos work in Chrome. YouTube video controls, Google says, now work in full-screen mode, and video now automatically continues playing after a screen lock/unlock. Google also says that third-party input methods (think SwiftKey or Swype) will now work better with Chrome.
While the stronger sandbox is limited to Jellybean, all of the other fixes and feature updates will be available for all Android 4.0+ users.
Google Chrome is an based on the open source web browser Chromium which is based on Webkit. It was accidentally announced prematurely on September 1, 2008 and slated for release the following day. It premiered originally on Windows only, with Mac OS and Linux versions released in early 2010. Features include: Tabbed browsing where each tab gets its own process, leading to faster and more stable browsing. If one tab crashes, the whole browser doesn’t go down with it A...
Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company’s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google’s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...
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