Chrome on touchscreen-enabled Windows 8

[slaterg]

Hi,

I currently use Windows 8 on my desktop PC and I'm considering buying a Windows 8 tablet (x86). Currently I prefer the Asus T100.

However, I am a big fan of Google Chrome. So a requirement for me is, that Chrome runs quite well with touch.

Some month ago I tested some Windows 8 tablet and Chrome did not perform well for me because it lacked touchscreen support (pinch-to-zoom).

A few weeks ago I read this: Google adds touch-friendly Chrome features in latest test version | The Verge

Since I currenty have no touchscreen Win 8 device and no way testing one, I want to know how well this Chrome works with touchscreens.

Nobody on the web has uploaded any video about this and information is really rare.

Has someone tested? Can someone test?

Thanks in advance!
John

 

[dirtyvu]

I guess I could try it. I tried it multiple times over the past year and always a sucky experience. But I'm willing to give it another go.

Check out the new Metro Firefox. Very slick and it does have touch. Still in beta so it's kind of buggy but it feels almost like a regular release. Don't forget. To have the Metro version, you need to set it to be the default browser. Otherwise it will load the desktop version of the browser (same situation as with IE).

Mozilla Firefox Web Browser | Download Firefox Aurora for Desktop - Free

 

[slaterg]

Hi,

thanks for suggesting Firefox. I did not know they had a touch-friendly version, too.

If you could try that Chrome version, it would be very helpful. The thing is, I need my browser addons. In the optimal case for Chrome but I could find Firefox alternatives. To my knowledge, Chrome supports addons in their "metro" implementation. What about Firefox?

Cheers
John

 

[dirtyvu]

yeah, Chrome is just as crappy as ever for touch. IE is still best if you want touch. I'm waiting for them to turn on the touch in Firefox Aurora. It looks like the best Metro interface of all the browsers but it doesn't have proper touch like pinch to zoom. It is still beta and they're slowly turning on features as they're being debugged. Heck, standard FF has touch but it's really laggy.

 

[slaterg]

So, did you try that pinch-to-zoom in that Chrome dev build? How exactly "crappy"? Could you describe?

Well... seems that I have to use IE then. I totally need Adbock. Are there any solutions for IE? Haven't looked myself, yet; will do on my own, too.

Thanks!
John

 

[dirtyvu]

hmm... I didn't try that canary build. I just updated Chrome to the latest build and tested that. I can try when I get back home.

there is adblock for Firefox (where it originated) and for IE.

 

[slaterg]

Nice, thanks!

I know there is Adblock for both IE and FF but only in Desktop mode, not in Modern UI mode.

 

[slaterg]

up.

 

[slaterg]

Are you back home yet?

 

[dirtyvu]

LOL. sorry. got caught up in trying to upgrade all my systems to windows 8.1.

I'll try it. why can't you try it? am I supposed to be the guinea pig?

 

[slaterg]

Haha, sorry for the inconvenience. I don't want to rush you :-D

Win 8.1 broke both my sound card and my gamepad driver, so I know the pain^^

As I said, I cannot test the touch capabilities of Chrome since I do not have a Win 8 device with a touchscreen. I do not know anyone personally who owns one and I do not live anywhere near a store where I could try. Simply ordering one seems to be a bit of overkill just to test and maybe send back.

 

[dirtyvu]

Alright tried the Canary build. Cannot get touch features to work like pinch to zoom. I set Canary as the default browser. didn't help (for IE and Firefox, you need to set the browser as the default to get the Metro version).

strangely, there is no more "windows 8 mode" (which never really helped anyway with the regular chrome.

 

[slaterg]

Hi,

you need to go into the Chrome flags menu and set the pinch to zoom option (just ctrl-F for "pinch") to true.

Cheers!