Google are taking on the world - the beta of Google Chrome (their new web browser) has been released. Although not yet ready for Apples or Penguins it can be tested on Windows machines.
So what's the verdict?
Well, it's got a minimalistic zen style, it's easy to install and it imports your fav sites from Firefox or IE. The big difference is the all-in-one addressbar/searchbox. Whether it is a URL or search keywords you type it into the only available space at the top of the window.
**you WILL search with google**
Now that's a smooth marketing trick! It also brings up your most visited sites as thumbnails when it loads, a feature you start to miss when you revert to other browsers.
Chrome also boasts fast Javascript rendering. My personal website has a teeny bit of script for the dropdown menus - a bit of script that the latest version of IE doesn't like - but Chrome handles it fine (so an extra star from me).
My homepage also has a little flash widget and I was suprised that I didn't have to download and install the flash plug-in, it worked first time. This new browser also has google gears built in (google this to find out what gears are... or if you've installed Chrome you can Chrome it). I've also tried internet banking on two different bank sites and it works fine. Now for something different... an incognito window at a single click of the "new tab" icon. This is stealth mode browsing, no history, no cookies. As Borat might say, "NICE".
So far so good.
Now for the downside: extensions! Unlike Firefox there are no extensions, so if you're a big extensions users (download managers, ad blockers, etc.) then you'll want to stick with the Fox.
In summary, a quick simple slim looking browser that loads quickly and works with all those googly things (gmail, maps, docs, blogs) effortlessly. I'll load it on my travel laptop, but at the moment I'll stick with Firefox as the default browser on my desktop.
But don't take my word for it - download it and try it yourself!

tobyonline