Google doesn't want people to think that its Chromebook becomes practically useless without an Internet connection, which is why the search company continues to roll out features that users can access offline.
The latest in its line of features is an updated Google Play Movies & TV add-on for Chrome browser, which allows ChromeOS users to download purchased or rented movies and TV shows on their Chromebooks and watch them later even without an Internet connection.
"The new Google Play Movies & TV Chrome app makes your favorite movies and TV shows on your Chromebook available anytime, anywhere - even without a Wi-Fi connection," Google Play announced on its Google+ page.
Google hopes adding the capability that lets users watch movies and TV shows even while offline, a feature which is supported by almost all major tablets and smartphones, will make the dirt-cheap, Chrome-based portable computers more appealing to customers whose main computing activities include watching videos, emailing, online shopping, social networking and web surfing.
The new add-on can become really useful for users who have limited or no Internet access, such as those going on long flights or camping trips. It also includes Google Now-like info cards that pop up on the side of the screen when users pause the video to provide more information about the actors appearing on screen or even the soundtrack of the movie.
The app even works with Chromecast, Google's $35 dongle that wirelessly beams streaming videos from a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone to a wide-screen high-definition television.
The new Google Play Movies & TV extension is only currently available for Chromebook users, but it is not clear when Google plans to extend the capability to include those using Chrome on their non-Chromebook devices.
Other activities Chromebook users can do "for those rare times when you aren't connected to the web" include reading, writing and replying to emails with Gmail Offline, view appointments on a read-only Google Calendar, view and edit documents and photos, listen to music on the Chromebook's internal storage transferred from a USB stick or SD card, and take notes with Google Keep. Chromebook users can also view web pages saved offline and use offline-capable apps and games such as The New York Times, Cloud Reader and Angry Birds.
Earlier this week, Google announced in what seems to be David Shapiro's cheesy attempt at rhyming verses that Google will be bringing Chromebook to nine more countries, including Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines and Spain.
