Nearly two weeks ago, Google unleashes its beta version web browser called Chrome.  There are already reports that Chrome has taken 1% of the web browser market and it’s rising.  So what exactly will Chrome do for you?  Well in order to get a more accurate perspective, I went ahead and downloaded it for a test spin.  So here’s my analysis. 

First stop was to download it from www.google.com/chrome.  Download and installation was a breeze.  It even asked me if I wanted to import all of my Mozilla Firefox bookmarks and settings, which imported without a problem.  The first thing I noticed after restarting Chrome was the homepage is now gone and replaced by Most Visited webpage from Google.  Going into Options and changing the Home Page then allowing the Home Page button to be present on the toolbar made it look familiar once again.  This will take some time to get adjusted but let’s check out what else is in store for us.

We’ve already come across the Most Visited feature above.  Next I wanted to test out speed.  Is it really much faster then the others?  My tests are not done under any conditions or special circumstances but just my regular pc.  I cannot compare it on other desktops nor other environments at this time.  Let’s continue with the speed test.  I typed in some common websites and then closed out the browser then tried some more.  Clicking on the plus sign by the tabs I opened more websites.  It seems to be a bit faster but nothing noticeably faster at least nothing extraordinary.

Exploring Chrome some more I came across a new feature called Incognito Mode.  This basically means that you may surf the internet without Chrome storing any information such as websites you’ve visited, files downloaded, cookies, and etc.  Basically keeping you even safer from online predators.  It’s great to have this mode and not have to log into website such as www.anonymizer.com.

If you right click on the toolbar I find Task Manager.  This is similar to the Windows Task Manager although only shows tasks running under Google Chrome such as websites you have open and memory usage.  There’s even a button under Task Manager window for Stats for Nerds, which gives a more detailed display of memory usage including physical and virtual.  Neat stuff Google!

Chrome is built on a “multiprocess architecture,” which basically means that if one of your tabbed websites decides to crash all of your other tabs will not.  Each tab is isolated “sandbox” from the other tabs so they work on their own and not dependent on each other.  This is great since for everyone since I’m sure I’m not the only one that has several tabs open and my browser decides to take a dive.

Another feature it has is called the “create application shortcut”.  It seems to be like any other create a shortcut on desktop link but this one allows you to add to your quick links and start menu.  It’s a convenient way to save websites that perhaps you use more often and would like it on your desktop or even start menu for easy access.

Google Chrome is visually appealing and does provide a smoother way to surf.  They have taken components from Apple’s Webkit and Mozilla Firefox so that’s always a good thing to take the best of the best.  Again this is only a beta version so there are plenty more add-ons and improvements on the way.  Overall it’s simple interface, ease of use, and visual presence are all top notched.  Google already dominates the search engines.  They have even given Microsoft a run for their money with Google Docs and Google Desktop.  Of course we cannot forget about their amazing Google Maps and Google Earth.  Now we have Google Chrome for web browsing.  What’s next for Google?  A Google Phone perhaps?  Wait a second; the Gphone is already being worked on.  On that note, Google smart, be safe, and stay cool Arizona.