Google Chrome Labs' latest experiment is an Etch-a-Sketch for your browser

Web-a-Skeb

If you miss the days of struggling to draw a simple shape using iron filings with a classic Etch-a-Sketch, you'll love the latest experiment from Google Chrome Labs (a sandbox where the company lets its developers work on their own projects).

As reported by 9to5Google, Web-a-Skeb is an in-browser recreation of the retro kids' toy that invites you to create your own masterpieces by controlling a tiny virtual magnet using a pair of dials. It's just as fiddly as you remember, but nonetheless rewarding when you manage to create something vaguely recognizable.

Shake it off

You can 'shake' Web-a-Skeb to erase your drawings (achieved by pressing a button a few times) and switch between full-screen and windowed modes, but Web-a-Skeb also has a few tricks up its sleeve that weren't in its magnetic predecessor.

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There are three different styles: fast (a plain line), fancy (with a drop-shadow), and fanciest (with shifting rainbow colors).

Creator Rowan Merewood says his original aim was to create a dial that could be used to input a range. A future version of Web-a-Skeb might also support input via a keyboard, but for now you'll have to make do with your mouse.

Cat Ellis
Homes Editor

Cat is TechRadar's Homes Editor, covering smart home tech, kitchen appliances, vacuums, haircare and more. She's been a tech journalist for 15 years, having worked on print magazines including PC Plus and PC Format, and is a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) certified barista. Whether you want to invest in some smart lights, find your ideal hair styler, or pick the espresso machine of your dreams, she's the right person to help.