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Chrome 49 released to stable channel, smooth scrolling now enabled by default

Chrome 49 is rolling out now to Mac, Windows, and Linux. The latest version of the browser contains the usual bug and security fixes, but this update adds more developer APIs than user facing features. However, the next version of Chrome should bring a new Material Design interface.

Smooth scrolling is now enabled by default and users should expect a smoother experience when scrolling with a mouse wheel. Chrome 49 has 26 security fixes contributed by external researches and internal teams fixed vulnerabilities in the V8 engine.

The latest Chrome V8 engine in this update has 91% support for a major update to JavaScript that will allow developers to write code that is more powerful and memory efficient. A new MediaRecorder API also allows sites to record audio and video without the need of another plugin, like Flash.

Sites can send a lighter version of a webpage by checking if users has turned on a new Save-Data header, while a new Background Sync API allows sites to schedule a sync the next time an Internet connection is available, even if the user has closed the page.

Chrome 49 for desktop is rolling out now, with updates for Chrome on Android and Chrome OS following shortly.

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