Many may question the validity of a debate about browsers, stating that the masses have no need for an updated and feature-rich browsing experience. I beg to differ. If we’re not moving forward, we’re actually moving backwards. Consumers spend thousands upon thousands of dollars for the newest in technology that makes their TV resolution look better, to enable 3-D characteristics, to make it possible to carry their whole music and/or movie library in their pocket. Consumers may not be computer savvy, but they are certainly not stupid. If they knew something was out there that was “bigger and better’ than their 5-year-old browser and was FREE, i’d have to wager they would want to use it. Especially if they saw an interactive experience like Rome.

I randomly stumbled upon this movie/user experience and was excited to see such projects in the works. It combines world-class musicians, with artistry, with interactivity. You can actually navigate yourself through the music video with the cursor, while looking at different ‘areas’ of the video. To view the ROME video you will need the Google Chrome browser, which is equipped with the technology needed for the user experience presented by the video. One of the main technologies used in the video is webGL. WebGL (Web-based Graphics Library) is a software library that extends the capability of the JavaScript programming language to allow it to generate interactive 3D graphics within any compatible web browser. This allows for the creation and mutation of the objects in the video, as well as the 3-D experience of being able to pan left, right, up and down.

So to those who argue that users are ‘just fine’ using outdated software, I applaud the team at Google (as well as other companies) who are trying to push the web forward to reach its true potential. Perhaps someday we’ll get there.

Posted by admin under chrome, Web Design
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