Thursday, September 04, 2008

Chrome: Google's new web browser

Tired of Internet Explorer? I've frequently urged clients to move to SeaMonkey or Firefox, both from Mozilla.org, the creators of Netscape. Any of these browser are less crash-prone than Internet Explorer, and less susceptible to attacks from hackers.

If you haven't yet moved to the amazing Firefox version 3, you might jump to the head of the class and get the free download of Google's new browser, named Chrome. It is still a 'beta' product, meaning not ready for prime-time, and as one person suggested: "Chrome may need some polish." but you have nothing to lose by trying it.



Advantages include
1. smart typing so when you type www.nyt the address for www.nytimes.com fills in, if it is a site you've visited before.
2. My favorite feature is a start-up screen with thumbnails of the sites you visit the most. Now that's useful. Sort of like seeing your bookmarks and favorites asn actual screenshots.
3. Home page also includes links to recently visited pages.

Google likes to capture user information, so read the privacy notice if you want to turn off some of their data collection.

download here if you're ready for something new.


ADDENDUM: Well, it's been about a week and I can't say I'm impressed with Google. Maybe the Beta was released too soon. It lacks many of the features in other browsers, such as smart-typing, easy access to Bookmarks, a visible menu bar, etc. Download Firefox 3 from mozilla.org if you're looking for something better. / HG 9-11-08