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Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:36 AM

Google Chrome - Do We Need Another Web Browser?

Google has just come out of Alpha to show off their new Broswer (in Beta) - Google Chrome. Just like the Google website, Google Chrome shows off just the essentials. So, if you like a speedy browser with no clutter, consider Google Chrome. It's the de-facto browser that should have been out there 10 years ago. But, we live and learn from the mistakes of our rivals such as Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox and Safari.

Caution: beware of the BETA. It still has lots of little bugs that Google needs to pan out. For example, it doesn't work on a Mac right now. So, if you're still wanting a rock-solid performance, wait until the official release.

It's true we don't need another web browser. This is especially true for web design firms looking to spend less time on browser compliance. But, as always, times change and our design firm will change right along with it. For us, though, the greatest benefit of another competitve browswer is the competition alone. For example, look at Firefox. Before that came out, IE cornered the market and got lazy with their browser. Since Firefox came in for competition, IE is looking (and acting) pretty good lately. I'm guessing that they'll step it up even more now that Google Chrome is here to play...especially in the mobile browser market.

For more information, go to the Google Chrome website and/or review this article on Chrome through MSN. They state:

Chrome's home page is worth the download experience alone. It gives you a visual snapshot of your nine most-visited Web sites, making it easy to go back to them at any time. It also displays a handy list of recent bookmarks, and recently closed tabs, within easy click range on the home page.

Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 both have Web address bars that try to anticipate what you want to search for, or where you want to go, as soon as you type in a word. Chrome calls its auto-completion feature "Omnibox," and IE 8's is "Smart Address Bar." Both of these worked well.
Both also have stealth surfing modes, but odds are neither will let you escape the eyes of a forensic examiner if your computer is confiscated.

Chrome's is called "Incognito" mode, which you can slip into at any time by clicking on the same menu you use for creating a new tab. Google is quite clear about Incognito's features.

"Browsing in Incognito mode only keeps Google Chrome from storing information about the Web sites you've visited. The Web sites you visit may still have records of your visit," Google let me know before I enabled Incognito. "Any files saved to your computer will still remain on your computer."

IE 8's program is "InPrivate Browsing," located in the Tools menu. InPrivate Browsing "ensures that history, temporary Internet files and cookies are not recorded on user's PC after browsing," according to Microsoft.

Labels: Chrome Beta, firefox, google browser, google chrome, web browser, web design

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