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Google Uses Surface Books To Show Off Chrome Battery Improvements (windowscentral.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the speeding-ticket dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Windows Central: Google has posted a new video showing how much it has improved battery life while using Chrome on Windows. It demonstrated those changes in a video that featured the web browser on Microsoft's Surface Book notebooks. The video test was based on running a Vimeo video on Chrome 46, which was released in 2015, and the same video running on Chrome 53, which was released last week. The Surface Book with Chrome 46 ran out of battery power after 8 hours and 27 minutes, while the same notebook running Chrome 53 shut down in 10 hours and 39 minutes, or over 2 hours later. Chrome 53 also features Material Design, a user interface that "makes more liberal use of grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and depth effects such as lighting and shadows." You can force the update to Chrome 53 by navigating to the about section of Chrome.

23 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Let's get it straight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Chrome is a pile of shit. Google needs to go back to what they do best, spying on you and customizing your advertisement experience... such as running Ashley Madison ads on the screen every time your wife walks in the room.

    1. Re:Let's get it straight by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Chrome is a pile of shit. Google needs to go back to what they do best, spying on you and customizing your advertisement experience... such as running Ashley Madison ads on the screen every time your wife walks in the room.

      I suggest you use a incognito window and VPN when cheating on your wife.

  2. Dumbest rivalry ever by LichtSpektren · · Score: 2, Informative

    Microsoft sounded incredibly daft when they bragged about how the one thing about Edge that doesn't suck is its low battery usage. Then of course their monopolistic tendencies came out (again) when they decided to show a warning message to Windows 10 users who opened Firefox or Chrome by telling them that those browsers will use all your battery life and you'd better use Edge if you knew what was good for you.

    So this whole "browser battery life" war is nothing but an excuse for Microsoft's "DOS isn't done 'til Lotus won't run" tactic. This should be responded to with antitrust investigations and legal fines.

    Instead Google is playing along and trying to show how great Chrome is on Windows 10's battery life. This is a losing war, Google. You're fighting a winter war against Russia here. Nobody uses Edge because they legitimately are concerned about their laptop battery life.

    1. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Oh, and one more thing. If Microsoft really cared about Windows 10's battery life, they wouldn't make it push megabytes of unethically collected user data to over a hundred domains by the hour.

    2. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      Whats this warning message you speak of? I solely run Chrome on both my Surface Pro 3 and my Surface Book and havent ever seen a warning message telling me to use Edge instead...

    3. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Scoth · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure exactly when/how it triggers, but the first time I tried running Chrome when it wasn't default on a brand new Windows 10 install I got a popup that extolled the virtues of Edge and I really, really should give it a try. Pretty please, etc. Dismissed it and made Chrome default and haven't seen it again.

    4. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      Dumb? Anytime pissing contests lead to better tools I count it as a win.

    5. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Also the fact that Google is much more nimble than Microsoft is. A complaint that Google is Bad in X. means Google will fix X very rapidly.

      Also as of Note.
      Checking the HTML 5 Compatibility
      Chrome 53 Scores 500 out of 555
      While Edge Scores 460 out of 555
      Chrome had the Score under 460 back during version 40

      I will say that Edge has finally passed Safari.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    6. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Merk42 · · Score: 1

      I will say that Edge has finally passed Safari.

      Safari is the new IE, and the IE Microsoft dreamed of in iOS (want to use another rendering engine? screw you!)

    7. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by swillden · · Score: 1

      Instead Google is playing along and trying to show how great Chrome is on Windows 10's battery life. This is a losing war, Google. You're fighting a winter war against Russia here. Nobody uses Edge because they legitimately are concerned about their laptop battery life.

      Meh. Unless it damages the user experience in other ways, using less power is a good thing.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    8. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      FYI,
      You can get Chrome, Firefox and Opera for iOS devices as well.

      However most apps that integrate for the web will be using Safari. As well if developers want their pages to render for iOS they need to be sure it works for Safari.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    9. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1

      I'm sure it won't happen as long as your ears are plugged.

    10. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by flyingfsck · · Score: 1

      Uhuh - turn Siri and Bing off and the thing will run 24 hours.

      --
      Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    11. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Merk42 · · Score: 1

      FYI, You can get Chrome, Firefox and Opera for iOS devices as well.

      Unless you're talking about Opera Mini, they all use Safari's rendering engine.

    12. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by cjjjer · · Score: 2

      If Microsoft really cared about Windows 10's battery life...

      Actually they do, by calling out Google they forced them (Google) to fix the problem.

      I guess your peer driven hatred towards all things Microsoft and your fanboi lust for Google makes you pretty blind somtimes. It's ok most people probably ignore your dribble anyway...

      Enjoy watching the Apple Event today...

    13. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by DAldredge · · Score: 1

      Funny none of my network monitoring systems show this data transfer. Could it be that Microsoft hacked my Cisco switch, my router, and the Linux VM I use for monitoring?

    14. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Gadget_Guy · · Score: 2

      Then of course their monopolistic tendencies came out (again) when they decided to show a warning message to Windows 10 users who opened Firefox or Chrome by telling them that those browsers will use all your battery life and you'd better use Edge if you knew what was good for you.

      Suggesting your own product is not a monopolistic practice. How different is that from going to Google and being presented with Google works better with Chrome and a Yes, get Chrome now button?

      So this whole "browser battery life" war is nothing but an excuse for Microsoft's "DOS isn't done 'til Lotus won't run" tactic. This should be responded to with antitrust investigations and legal fines.

      That's just ridiculous! What law did they break by claiming that their browser was better for battery life? How does that justify being fined? And how is promoting your product anything like the old Lotus myth?

      Nobody uses Edge because they legitimately are concerned about their laptop battery life.

      I think that statement can be simplified to just "Nobody uses Edge". But I for one consider my battery life when choosing what software to run. My computer has to last all day. It's useless to me if the battery dies. So, for example, my browser has to have an ad-blocker because I get sick of hearing my notebook's fan whir up to 100% when going to some sites with obnoxious advertising. It's galling to know that my CPU jumps to high usage just because someone wants to sell me something. I also use a lightweight programs instead of hard drive thrashing suites.

      So if it wasn't an absolutely appalling browser, I would use Edge if it made a substantial difference to my notebook's usable life.

    15. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Rob+Y. · · Score: 1

      I think his point was about Microsoft having their OS pop up a window telling you not to use Chrome. It's one thing to fix a battery life issue. And feel free to advertise it. But it's another thing for your monopoly OS (yes, it's still a monopoly) to warn you off of competing applications that you launched on your own - and probably went through some effort to install.

      And don't forget that the only reason they want you to use Edge is to choke off Google's income stream so they won't be able to continue to upend their plans for controlling all computing devices. Well, okay, they also want you to use Edge so they can copy Google's business model and take that income stream for themselves. That battery life warning probably doesn't mention that...

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    16. Re:Dumbest rivalry ever by Rob+Y. · · Score: 1

      So if Chrome ends up surpassing Edge in battery life, will that message still show up?

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
  3. Yay by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

    Now fix the fact that Chrome doesnt trigger the on-screen keyboard in tablet mode when you tap into an input box - this has been broken for several major versions now, after being "fixed" for a few versions after the last time they broke it.

  4. Material Design by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    If they keep puffing up then flattening out the icons they are going to lose their elasticity.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    1. Re:Material Design by danbert8 · · Score: 1

      Apparently Google's UI philosophy is "do whatever stupid crap Microsoft is doing."

      --
      Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  5. Re:'Flat' = bad... by danbert8 · · Score: 1

    Seriously, it's the first thing I noticed after the update. How much time does Google waste with UI people going back and forth between straight lines and curves? I mean, their UI people are just stealing the cues from Microsoft who wasted time taking Windows 7's curves and making Windows 8 and 10 have straight lines again...

    --
    Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?