If you use the Chrome browser and have added apps from the dedicated web store, you’ll already know that these games and tools appear on your page each time you open a new tab. Google has now taken it a step further by offering offline access to some of these through the ‘For Your Desktop’ collection in Chrome Web Store.
This means that you will be able to access certain applications right from your PC even when your internet connection is down. Picture apps on your smartphone that can be used with your Wi-Fi and data turned off? This is exactly how it’ll work for the aforesaid Chrome collection.
So you will be able to launch games or utilities right from your computer and they’ll work just like native software such as Minesweeper, Pinball, or Paint (if you’re on Windows). Right now, there is a very limited selection of options that work offline. These include Tank Riders, Gliffy Diagrams, The Economist, VNC Viewer, 500px, Pixlr Touch Up, Google Keep and so on.
Once you download a packaged application, it does not show up directly on your desktop. Instead, there’s an icon that pulls up your entire list of offline and online Chrome apps when you click on it. A special notifications center delivers reminders, updates and the ability to quickly take action whenever needed.
At present, the new collection is only available for Windows. Mac and Linux users will be getting it ‘soon.’
Complete list of For Your Desktop apps
500px
Any.DO
Booktrack Studio
Cracking Sands Racing
Entanglement
Exfm
Gliffy Diagrams
Google Keep
Lockify
Lucidchart Diagrams – Desktop
Magisto
Marqueed Screenshots
Pixlr Touch Up
Plex
Pocket
Spelunky HTML5
Tank Riders
The Economist
Type Fu
UberConference
Until AM for Chrome
VNC Viewer for Google Chrome
WeatherBug
WorkFlowy
Wunderlist for Chrome