CSS Variables - Why should you care?
CSS variables, more accurately known as CSS custom properties, are landing in Chrome 49. They can be useful for reducing repetition in CSS, and also for powerful runtime effects like theme switching and potentially extending/polyfilling future CSS features.
Controlling Font Performance with font-display
The new font-display descriptor for @font-face lets developers decide how their web fonts will render (or fallback), depending on how long it takes for them to load.
Record audio and video with MediaRecorder
The MediaRecorder API enables you to record audio and video from a web app. It's available now in Firefox and in Chrome for Android and desktop.
VP9 is now available in WebRTC
From Chrome 48 on desktop and Android, VP9 will be an optional video codec for video calls using WebRTC.
Notification Actions in Chrome 48
Users can interact with your site without opening up the page by using Notification Action buttons
High resolution timestamps for events
Find out when events occur with microsecond precision, thanks to DOMHighResTimeStamp.
Easy URL manipulation with URLSearchParams
TURLSearchParams trivial access and manipulation of the URL's query string
Google Cast for Chrome on Android
Chrome on Android now allows mobile sites to present to Google Cast devices using the Presentation API and the Cast Web SDK.
Introducing Background Sync
Background sync is a new web API that lets you defer actions until the user has stable connectivity. This is useful for ensuring that whatever the user wants to send, is actually sent.
DevTools Digest (CDS Edition): A Glimpse into the Future and RAIL Profiling
Learn how DevTools is going mobile first with a new, streamlined Device Mode that’s always on. Use the color buttons to quickly add colors to your selectors and find out what’s coming to DevTools soon.
Instant Loading Web Apps with an Application Shell Architecture
Application shell architecture is a method of building progressive web apps today, taking advantage of a range of technologies.
DevTools Digest - Efficient element edits, service worker debugging, and material design shades
Use the DOM panel’s new context menu to efficiently edit nodes. Debug services workers directly via the Resources panel. Choose from all of the Material Design shades in the colorpicker. Blackbox JS libraries more easily.
Notification requireInteraction - A Smoother Notification UX on Desktop
Notifications on desktop will be automatically dismissed after a short period of time.
DevTools Digest - Tab Reordering, Console on 2 and Framework Event Listeners
Re-order DevTools tabs which ever way suits you best and see exactly where framework events were bound.
Input device capabilities
A simpler method to rationalize your mouse and touch logic for when there is no PointerEvents
Choose cameras, microphones and speakers from your web app
The MediaDevices interface gives access to input and output devices available to the browser including cameras, microphones and speakers.
The EME logger extension
EME Logger is a Chrome extension that logs Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) events and calls to the DevTools console.
Updates to the Service Worker Cache API
Chrome 46 brought new methods to caches, as does Chrome 47, and probably 48. It never stops.