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Filed under: Windows, Google, Freeware, Open Source, Beta, Browsers

Google Chrome - Google's new browser - First Look

Google Chrome, the browser from Google that pundits everywhere have been speculating about for years has finally arrived, at least in beta form. So what is it like? Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Google: it's a browser, but simplified. Google chose to use the open-source WebKit browser as the basis for Chrome. Strangely, only a Windows version of Chrome is currently available, even though WebKit is the basis for the Safari browser on the Mac operating system.

During the install process, Google Chrome asks to import your bookmarks, browsing history, and passwords. This allows you to switch to using Chrome almost instantly. Interestingly, Chrome asks whether you would like Google to be your default search engine, or if you would like to specify a different one. Kudos to Google for this; when supplying their own browser, it would be tempting to say "using a Google browser, use Google's search".

Here's a quick walk-through of the Chrome user interface.

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Filed under: Internet, Google, Browsers

Google Chrome: Is Google planning to release a web browser?

Google Chrome
Rumors that Google plans to release a web browser have been circulating for years. Personally I've never placed much stock in them, because it's always made more sense to time that Google would continue releasing plugins for existing browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer to allow users to take advantage of Google's web services. After all, that's what the company has done with the Google Toolbar, Google Gears, and the now-defunct Google Browser Sync.

But Philipp Lenssen at Google Blogoscoped has posted a comic book which he says comes straight from Google which seems to indicate that the search engine giant will indeed release a browser soon. Reportedly called Google Chrome, the browser will be based on the open source Webkit rendering engine. So what would Google Chrome have that you can't find in other web browsers?
  • Includes a brand new JavaScript virtual machine called V8
  • Tabs wil go above the window, not below the address bar
  • Location bar will support auto-complete functions and suggests web pages you've previously visited as well as suggested sites you haven't
  • Upon launch, you'll see an Opera-like speed dial with bookmarks and thumbnails for up to web sites
  • There will be a privacy mode that allows you to surf without saving any personal history (Microsoft is building a similar feature into Internet Explorer 8)
  • The browser will constantly download up to date information about web sites with malicious code
Chrome will also utilize Google Gears to allow you to save many web sites and applications for offline use. And web applications will be isolated from other browser tabs, so if Google Docs or another app crashes, your browser won't automatically close.

While I'm surprised to see Google getting into the browser space, I can't say I'm disappointed. It'll take a lot of work for any company to take market share away from Microsoft and Mozilla. But if anyone can do it, or at least offer some innovative ideas for the competition to copy, it's Google.

Update: It's official. Google is releasing a beta of Google Chrome for Windows tomorrow.

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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