Chrome's New Tab Page Shows Static Doodles

The last time I wrote about Chrome's updated new tab page, I complained about the animated doodles that distract you every time you open a new tab. Since Chrome replaced the new tab page with Google's homepage, you also get the doodles, including those that are animated or interactive.

Here's what I asked Peter Kasting, from the Chrome team: "If nothing can be done about the new interface, my only request would be to show a static version of the animated doodles and click a button to start the animation. That would be a big improvement. It's really annoying to see the same animation over and over again when opening a new tab page."

The good news is that Google did exactly that. The updated new tab page now shows a static version of the doodle and you need to click a "play" button to start the animation.