Every Chromebook that I know of comes with built-in web cam that’s useful for video chats. I haven’t seen many apps use the camera for anything else save for a bar-code scanner I occasionally use. Google has its own Camera app for self-photos, complete with Photo Booth-like filters but I don’t think the app hasn’t seen an update since it was introduced. That may be changing very soon.
Craig Tumblison posted about a revamped Chrome OS camera app on Monday via Google+, sharing both the details as well as a way to install it.
Here’s his write-up on how to get the app now if you want it; I already installed it on my Chromebook Pixel so I know it works:
- Download the .crx from Github.
- Visit chrome://extensions/ and enable developer mode (upper right)
- Drag and drop the .crx file from your Downloads folder on to the extensions page.
- Launch and enjoy!
Tumblison notes that the app is still a work in progress so it may be missing some functionality. However, the original Camera app will still exist and be available on your Chrome OS device; I verified that as well.
I like the new look although I don’t see quite as many filters as the original app has. It does look a little more refined though, so I hope that Google continues to work on it. And although I’m using this app on a Chrome OS device, it may run on any computer that has the Chrome browser installed. That’s Google’s master plan: To boost desktop engagement by turning Chrome into a full-featured environment atop Windows, OS X and Linux.


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