Google is under attack! On the one hand their supremacy in the cloud is challenged by Microsoft. On the other Yahoo and Microsoft are looking to tag-team Google. On another front, privacy policies are under scrutiny. But the multibillion dollar company is in top form and top of all things.
Google’s very own web browser Chrome has been gaining popularity for sometimes now among users. And with the recent rollout of Chrome version 5, they’re looking forward to gain users among Mac and Linux users.
The beta version of Chrome was initially released in September 2008 and the stable public version in December 2008. As of May 2010, it is the third most used browser, with Explorer and Firefox leading the list, according to Net Applications, a leading web analytic firm.
Interface
Chrome’s interface is very simple. There are no RSS readers, no sidebars for history, downloads or favorites. But if you prefer to have them, there are extensions that will make e matters easy.
Fast and furious
So what makes Chrome special? In one word its speed. It is fast while browsing and it uses less system resources than its counterparts. It is also fast to setup. It will be up and running even before you realize. Updating is hassle free since it updates automatically in the background. And with version 5, it has gained more speed, according to experts 30 - 35 percent over last version.
As always Chrome is at its best at handling Javascript. Although previous versions showed improvements in speed, version 5 boasts, a whopping 25% speed boost according to benchmark tests.
Tab enabled
Chrome has an excellent tab implementation. Tabs are displayed at the top of the browser window. And they can be dragged out to create independent browser windows. Also individual browser windows can be dragged in to create tabs. The ‘Pin tab’ facility is useful if you want the tabs to be pinned in place.
A new tab is created by pressing the ‘Add new tab’ key, a small plus sign to the right of the last tab or through the shortcut, Ctrl + T. The new tab page shows the most visited websites as thumbnails or lists. You can pin the thumbnails and move around according to your preference.
Browsing incognito
and extensions
Chrome sports an incognito mode (Ctrl + Shift + N), where you can browse without sites recording your activity. The Incognito mode was in the previous Chrome versions, but what’s new is that the extensions can be enabled in the private browsing mode. When the Extensions Manager (listed under Customize; the button with the wrench sign under close) is opened, a list of installed extensions is displayed where you can select which extensions are required while Incognito.
Though not exhaustive as Firefox, a wide range of extensions are available, from mail checkers to Panic buttons (when pressed all open tabs are hidden) to Calculators. All the extensions I have used worked very well.
Sync your bookmarks
Since last November, the bookmark syncing feature is available for Chrome users. All you have to do is go to ‘Setup Sync’, input your Gmail account details and voila! Your bookmarks are synced. This is a great feature if you’re always on the move. Whenever you are logged in to a PC with Chrome installed, logging into your Google account will bring back all the bookmarks, which is a mighty useful feature. With the new version not only bookmarks, almost all your preferences will be synced which means wherever you’ve logged you’ll be presented with the Chrome interface you’re familiar with.
Security and
privacy
Chrome’s security is something that security buffs would not like. It maintains all the security features available in previous versions, which aren’t exactly market-leading. There are no parental controls at all, which means that this is not a browser that parents are willing to have. It also brings up the concern, is Chrome another method of gathering user data? Though the designers have said no to this, each copy of Chrome has an identification number that’s tied to data it collects. At one point the developers admitted that whatever is typed in the search bar, which doubles as the address bar, is viewable by Google even before the user press the enter key.
Is Chrome for you?
When compared to IE, Safari and Opera browsers, Chrome is still at lower rungs. Though it boasts a decent number of extensions, they’re no match for Firefox’s. At the moment HTML 5 support is in par with IE which could change with the release of IE9.
Chrome’s speed, extension capability, excellent tab functionality, Incognito browsing, and syncing feature make it a good choice for an average user. And if speed is your primary concern, Chrome is the browser for you. |
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