MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 23 (UPI) ─ With Star Wars: The Force Awakens only weeks away, Google has joined forces with Disney to create a new tool that gives Google’s apps a Star Wars makeover.
Launched Monday, users who log into Google through their Chrome browser will be asked to join either the Light Side or the Dark Side of The Force. The choice will then affect the look of Google Maps, Gmail, search and YouTube among other apps.
Other highlights of the makeover include Star Wars milestones being added to Google Calendar and Star Wars images appearing every time a new tab is opened in Chrome.
The company is also keeping track of the “balance of the force” by displaying which side is being chosen more over the other. The tool is compatible with Chromebook, Android and iOS phones and tablets as well as Windows and Mac computers. Some features will not be available on mobile devices and after activating, it may take a few hours before all apps receive the full makeover.
Clay Bavor, vice president of product management at Google says the idea came about from all the Star Wars fans who work for the search engine giant.
“You can regularly spot Darth Vaders, dogs dressed like Yoda, and even the occasional stormtrooper, roaming the halls of our data centers (probably still looking for those droids),” Bavor wrote in a blog post.
“So when we first heard about Episode VII, we started thinking about what a Google tribute to these epic stories might look like: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if there was some sort of Star Wars thingy in Search? The Millennium Falcon in Cardboard would be sweet! What if Google Translate could decipher galactic languages?’… and on, and on, and on.”
Bavor also promises more surprises are in store leading up to the film’s release on Dec. 18.
