ChromeExperiment
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Your phone is a lightsaber in Google's desktop browser game
Since real lightsabers don't exist (yet), Google and the studios behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens are offering the next-best thing: A program that turns your smartphone into a lightsaber, which then takes out bad guys on your computer screen. Lightsaber Escape is live now -- open it in your desktop browser and then punch in the unique URL on your phone (or vice versa), and you're good to go. Your phone becomes a lightsaber handle and, as you move it around, the actual glowing sword moves on the desktop.
Chrome's 1,000th web experiment visualizes all the others
Google has offered a ton of Chrome Experiments to show what modern web technology can do, but it's doing something special for the 1,000th project -- namely, visualizing all the other projects. The effort lets you browse six years' worth of browser-based art, games and other creative works in multiple ways, including a tag-based timeline and a live code editor. To top things off, Google has redesigned the Experiments site so that it scales properly on everything from phones to desktops. You probably won't have time to explore every single web snippet, but it's worth a visit to number 1,000 if you're wondering what you've missed.
Google's new Chrome experiment lets you remix the Rubik's Cube
Sure, you could spend a while trying to solve the Rubik's Cube in Google's new Doodle, but that may get a little dry. Google was clearly prepared for that eventuality, though: it has just launched the Cube Lab, a Chrome experiment that lets you build your own internet-based puzzle. So long as you're good with modern web code, you can produce a unique Rubik's Cube with its own artwork, effects and even logic. The 808 Cube is all about music-making, for instance. Even if you're not a programmer, it's worth checking out the ready-made Lab examples to have some fun. We just wish we'd had this when we were kids -- it would have kept us playing with Rubik's Cubes long after the original got buried in the closet.
Build anything you want with Legos, in Chrome
Let's be honest: You're never too old to play with Legos. Thanks to the latest Chrome experiment (and a little help from WebGL) you can build whatever your heart desires directly from your browser. Using Maps, you're able to choose a location-specific plot before starting to build, brick by brick. As you might expect, creations can be viewed across Google+ circles with categories for sorting, and tutorials will help hone those plastic contractor skills. If you really wanna get hands-on, use your phone or tablet's touchscreen for a more tactile feel. Itching to get started? You can begin construction right here.
Middle Earth comes to life in epic Chrome experiment
We're go out on a limb here and say that the Venn diagram of Engadget fans and Tolkien fans looks something like this. So, we figure you'll probably want to hear about a brand new Chrome experiment that brings various parts of Middle Earth to life, including the Trollshaw and Dol Guldur. It starts with a pretty simple interactive map, but from there you're able to dive into several locations and learn about Hobbit lore through text, animations and audio. At the end of each lesson on Tolkien's fantasy world, you're challenged to complete a simple mini game that has you causing flowers to bloom or avoiding troll attacks. While the WebGL-powered games are pretty impressive, its the HTML5 audio and animations that are the real eye-candy here -- doubly so since they work just as well on a phone or tablet as they do your desktop. As you swipe through slides in the story, camera angles change in coordination with your finger and characters dart across bridges. Honestly, even if you're part of that tiny sliver in the diagram that can't stand Tolkien, it's worth checking out the latest Chrome Experiment, if only to remind yourself of the growing power of the web browser.
Google's latest Chrome Experiment lets you slam a cube at a friend's face (video)
Google has cobbled together yet another fun Chrome Experiment, and this time it's Cube Slam, a Pong-inspired tennis-style game with video chat support built-in. It was developed with WebRTC, an open source project that lets you enable video conferencing in the browser without plug-ins. This way, you can initiate a game with a friend just by sharing a link. The idea here is to propel a cube at your friend three times in a row until the screen collapses. Various power-ups like fireballs, lasers and shields are available along the way and every level presents an increasingly difficult set of obstacles and challenges. If you're feeling anti-social, you can also play against a computer character called Bob the Bear (seen above). Indeed, as WebRTC is not available on mobile just yet, the Bear will be your only opponent if you want to play the game on your phone or tablet. We were able to play a single-player game on Safari and Firefox, but Chrome is required for multi-player. Offline play is also available by downloading the app from the Chrome Web Store. Head on past the break to watch a demo of the game in action, or just click on the appropriate source to start hurling cubes at Bob.
Google Chrome's World Wide Maze turns your favorite website into 3D game for your phone (video)
Google's latest Chrome experiment is a marble maze game that binds your smartphone to your PC through those shareable tabs. Once you've opened the same tab on both platforms, you'll be put in control of a metallic Nexus Q lookalike, steered by the accelerometers baked into your smartphone -- as well as power and jump buttons. Better still, there's (arguably) an infinite number of levels to tackle, with the experiment transforming your favorite sites into a multi-stage mazes. You'll need a phone that's running at least iOS 5.0 or Android 4.0 to make the connection. Take it for a cautious spin at the link below.
Google experiment lets you visualize the global arms trade in detail
We're all well aware of Google's drive for experimenting with bizarre tidbits from time to time, and the search giant's latest venture is one that gives a rather colorful and very detailed look at the global arms trade. Not surprisingly, the results are quite astonishing thanks to the interactivity and great amount of data Mountain View's been able to add to its visualization -- showing info like the number of imports / exports by each country from as far back as 1992 all the way up until 2010. There's a lot more to it, however, with the ability to also see how much cash was being spent per nation, and whether it was on ammo or civilian / military weapons. For that, you might want to head over to the Arms Trade site, where you'll be able to take Google's experiment for a spin -- literally.
Google thinks your digital books belong on a digital bookcase, digitally (video)
How to best view the Google Books collections? Why, a digital bookcase, of course. But this isn't just any bookcase, it's a giant spinning 3D helix of a bookcase, collecting more than 10,000 titles in 28 subjects. Users can navigate the WebGL Bookcase by spinning it around or swiping it up and down. Sure, it's not the quickest way to locate a title amongst tens of thousands of books, but perhaps it'll offer up some small consolation for those who miss browsing real-life bookstores. You can check out the experiment in the source link below -- be forewarned, however, that it's a bit of a resource hog.
'3 Dreams of Black' is the trippiest WebGL interactive music video you've seen all day
Perhaps you had your fill of WebGL yesterday after playing Angry Birds from dawn till dusk, but there was an even more graphically intensive Chrome browser experience unveiled at Google I/O this week: "3 Dreams of Black" by Rome. Simply put, it's an music video that runs in your browser window, starring the talents of Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi and Norah Jones, but instead of watching Norah serenade you from a stage or set, you're thrust into dreamlike, interactive 3D worlds. It's a fantastic tech demo for WebGL and the games it might inspire... and it's also something you'll want to experience for yourself. Find it (and the copy of Chrome Canary you may need for it to run well) at the source link below.
