Google's Chrome browser: This baby flies!
The new rival to Explorer and Firefox, now available for testing in Windows, makes up in exceptional speed for any minor shortcomings. And it's got a nice array of features.
Google's much-anticipated Web browser, Chrome, arrived Tuesday like a shiny new sports car: It's streamlined, has some great new features and is very, very fast.
Chrome, the most talked-about new tech product since the iPhone, became available shortly before noon as a free download -- for Windows only -- in what is officially called a beta test version. A short test drive shows that it could be a worthy contender for alpha browser.
Not that it won't take some getting used to. Unlike the familiar Internet Explorer and Firefox, which put functions such as Print and Save at the top, Chrome goes for a minimalist look, with controls hidden under the hood. Its overall color scheme -- after-Labor Day white with sky-blue trim -- is a bit harsh on the eyes.
Not everything worked right out of the showroom. Oddly, several of Google's own applications, such as Gmail, didn't function when we took the beta version out for a spin.
And although the company said it was working on Mac and Linux versions, no release dates were given. But Chrome's shortcomings and unfulfilled promises can be forgiven for one basic reason: This baby flies.
Even on a pedestrian Dell laptop, most pages popped up on the screen almost before the finger left the mouse. If Explorer and Firefox are the Toyotas of browsers, Chrome is the sporty Mini Cooper.
Downloading the Chrome beta -- at google.com/chrome -- is painless and comes with a nice surprise for Firefox users. Their bookmarks, passwords and browsing history are automatically incorporated and ready for use.
Among the Chrome features:
