Google has announced the launch of Chrome Apps on Thursday in a bid to establish the Web browser as more of a platform in itself. The new apps are similar to what the Chrome Web Store already offers, but instead of launching in the usual looking browser, it launches sans address bar and navigations buttons, essentially making them look and feel more like desktop apps you’re used to using on PCs or Macs. Chrome Apps also work offline without an internet connection, so there’s no need to stay connected if you really don’t need to or really can’t. The Chrome Apps can be launched directly from the desktop too, using the Chrome App Launcher that will be automatically installed the first time you download a Chrome App. While they’re built mostly using standardized Web technologies, there’s also some Chrome-specific coding in there too, so they’ll only play nicely with the Chrome browser.