Finally, something is happening on Web. Google launched its browser ‘Chrome’ today. Supposedly a Microsoft-killer, Chrome rocks – at least, that is my first impression.
Here is a list of Top 10 features of Chrome -
1. Plug & Play
After you install Chrome, you can import everything – passwords, bookmarks, history, search engines – from Internet Explorer and Firefox. This means that when start Chrome for the first time, you have everything ready – a seamless transition to new browser. This is great considering the fact that in Chrome you need not go looking for your bookmarks, the address bar does that for you.
So, just install it and done.
2. Omnibar
Note this – Chrome’s Omnibar is better than the ‘Awesomebar’ of Firefox 3. It not only auto-suggests visited links, bookmarks etc., it also acts as Google Search Bar! It also tells you the number of instances of that link in your browser history. It is actually a one-stop shop for everything related to links. ‘Omni’, isn’t it?
One think I did not do is – add more search engines and see if they also appear in Omnibar. Most probably Omnibar takes only default search engine (which is Google Suggest) which you can change.
3. Control on Tabs
Chrome gives you fair control over tabs without any extension. For example, apart from common things, you can close tabs which are opened from a parent tab.
One feature about tabs which many will like is that you can convert a tab into a new window. You just need to drag that tab out of current window to convert it into new window.
4. Webapps Shortcuts
Offline webapps is going to change the way we work. Google started on this line by launching Google Gears. Chrome allows you to take your web apps offline with the help of Google Gears. What Chrome does is not revolutionary, since Mozilla has Prism, which does the similar job of being a site-specific browser. Chrome is different however in the sense that it has integrated web app windows like Prism and Bubbles with normal browsing. Whenever you are on a Google Gears enabled web site, just say ‘Create Application Shortcut’ from the ‘Page Menu’ and a shortcut will be created for that app.
5. Incognito Browsing
The thing which IE 8 Beta 2 has introduced – private browsing – is there in Chrome also. For a trace-less browsing, you need to open a new ‘Incognito’ window. The in-browser traces of that visit will not be stored in Incognito window.
The great possibility
As of on day 1, though there are some minor glitches and some things that will add some spice to Chrome (like a great user community driving out exciting add-ons), there is a huge possibility inherent in Google’s going for a browser.
As Google says, Chrome intends to be a platform to access web pages and to launch web applications. Everybody knew the need of doing that and also the potential of having such an integrator of surfing and applications.
With Google’s array of apps – docs (where I am excited the most), Gmail, Bookmarks, Gears, Search etc., Chrome is going to add the single application which can make the picture complete for Google.
Some Misses
Not for Mac yet?
No integration with Google Bookmarks?
