Fully Charged: Material Design reaches Chrome on iOS, Steam Broadcasting goes live, and Disney ditched George Lucas’ new Star Wars ideas

Chrome for iOS gets Material Design

Big fan of Google’s move towards its Material Design language with Lollipop, but don’t actually own an Android device? Luckily for iPhone and iPad owners, Google has started updating its iOS apps using the very same visual philosophy, and Chrome is the first to get the overhaul.

The new look is immediately noticeable, delivering “bold graphics, fluid motion, and tactile surfaces,” as Google describes, plus Chrome is now optimized for iOS 8 and Apple’s latest, larger iPhones. Additionally, it supports handoff from Chrome on iOS to Mac, letting you begin browsing on mobile or tablet and pick right back up on the desktop.

[Source: Chrome Releases]

Steam Broadcasting is live

It’s time to update your Steam client, because live gameplay streaming has been added for all users via the Broadcasting feature. While it may sound like a shot at Twitch’s streaming empire, it actually appears to be a smaller, but still potentially useful perk intended to let pals view each others’ gaming sessions. However, if you’d like to let anyone peek in, you can enable a setting and have your stream appear on the game’s Steam page.

[Source: Eurogamer]

Disney discarded Lucas’ Star Wars ideas

It’s crazy to think that we’re less than a year away from a new Star Wars sequel, let alone one not written and/or directed by George Lucas. And it turns out that he’s really, really removed from the equation. Because while he may have created the world and many of the characters, new owner Disney overruled his intentions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In Lucas’ mind, Episode VII would focus primarily on new characters, with old favorites like Luke, Leia, and Han coming secondary. But J.J. Abrams and Disney didn’t see it that way, wanting to put the classic cast front and center for at least one more adventure.

As Lucas tells Cinemablend, “The [ideas] that I sold to Disney, they came up to the decision that they didn’t really want to do those. So they made up their own. So it’s not the ones that I originally wrote [on screen in The Force Awakens].” Hard to know if he’s bitter or upset there, but he did sell off the rights; it’s not his call anymore. We’ll see how it pans out come December.

[Source: Slashfilm]

Fan edit released for The Hobbit movies

By the time The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies hit cinemas in December, a fair bit of good will for Peter Jackson’s second Tolkien adaptation trilogy had faded. Once planned as a two-parter, it was extended to three films, and many viewers complained about the slow pace, unnecessary side stories, and Lord of the Rings callbacks.

But as with some of the better-known unofficial Star Wars edits, leave it to a detail-oriented fan to right Hollywood’s wrongs. Someone going by the tag “tolkeineditor” has trimmed down the three films into a single, 4+ hour affair, shaving a couple of hours of fluff for a more focused, streamlined experience.

If you read the source post carefully, you can find out where to download the fan edit, or just check out the notes to appreciate the fan-craftsmanship. And above is a small taste of what to expect, assuming you know the original version.

[Source: Tolkeineditor via Slashfilm]

About

Andrew writes features, news stories, reviews, and other pieces, often when the UK home team is off-duty or asleep. I'm based in Chicago with my lovely wife, amazing son, and silly cats, and my writing about games, gadgets, esports, apps, and plenty more has appeared in more than 75 publications since 2006.