Google browser! Chrome available today!
Google have for some time been employing FireFox engineers. Indeed they have registered domain names which to many indicated
either Internet browser development or at the very least protection of potential Google browser names.
Now the cat is out of the bag. Google is launching an Internet browser. This obvious path for Google has taken many by
surprise and even created a certain amount of shock in the industry. The thrust of the development is that it be more
lightweight and faster than Internet explorer. In addition you can be fairly sure that it will work very well with Gmail,
Google docs and other Google applications.
The new browser is called Chrome. It is open source. The Beta launch will be broad (as if a Google Beta could be ran on a
small pilot scheme) and will include 100 countries.
Internet explorer currently accounts for 80% of the market. The only real competitor in the industry up to now (on a volume
basis) is FireFox which has enjoyed much success recently. A Google browser should really shake up the market and will be
an obvious “try” for even novice Internet users. The pervasiveness and trust associated with Google as a company should
ensure that the browser doesn’t just become well known but well used.
Oh, by the way you will be able to download it today! More here as it becomes available.
Does this clash with our current testing of IE8. Well yes but it is apt and will appropriately not be left on the back burner.
We will post the link to the Chrome browser download as soon as it becomes available. We will also test and appraise it over the coming days.
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Tags: Chrome browser, firefox, Google browser, IE8, Internet explorer
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
John,
it will be released tomorrow, the 3rd of September, and will be downloadable at http://www.google.com/chrome (link not working yet)
Paul
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Thanks Paul
I was wondering why I couldn’t find an active link. We will all know more tomorrow.
John
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:01 am
actually it’s already released , since about 6pm Sept. 2nd 2008 GMT I think.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
The feature I like most is the most visited sites image list. When you open a new tab it presents a list of images of sites you visit frequently. This is far more useful than a favorites list as it automatically shows the list based on sites visited. If you forget to add to favorites, no bother. It is effectively based on a vote count of the number of times and recency of visits.
Outside of specific research I (like most people) visit a relatively small number of sites on a frequent basis.
I am surprised by the absence of any Google page rank indicator. I have been reading about this and there is much speculation and consensus but little in the lines of a definitive explanation as to what the plan is here. Some say it is coming, others that it marks the end of page rank as a public algo and some others still that Google will treat Chrome like any other browser in that a plug-in will be released for those who want it.
By the way, Google is ten years old tomorrow. They will likely do little other on the site than temporarily modify the Google image on their site and millions upon millions of visitors will flock to see it. Amazing really.