Google to launch its browser Chrome today

Google today officially announced the beta release of yet another web browser which they call as Chrome. Google Chrome will be an open source project and is built from scratch.This is the first time I’ve seen someone giving a hint of a release with the web comic developed by Scot McCloud.

Some of the salient features of the Chrome Browser -

1. Equipped with Javascript Virtual Machine V8 Google aims to speed up the performance. Javascripts are so important to the web today. Many of the web 2.0 apps like GMail requires heavy javascript usage. V8 works on dynamic code generation optimizing the memory. This means that there will be better interactive performance of web apps for operations like drag and drop which will improve the experience of Web 2.0.

2. Similar to the Prism project started by Mozilla you can directly open the web apps that can be launched in the browser window without an address and tool bar. For example the GMail app will open in its own streamlined window without the url box and address bar.

3. Default homepage will be similar to Speed Dial in Opera but showing the most recently visited page and their thumbnails. Also there will be your recent searches and bookmarked pages and most importantly recently closed tabs.

4. UI of Tabs will be bit different. Rather than having address bar on top of tabs it will be the other way. I really don’t know that why is this better in terms of experience but interestingly every tab opens its own process unlike in other browsers where every tab used to open a new thread within a single process. So now if one tab crashes it won’t crash your browser too rather only that tab will dispose off.

You will now be able to see what websites are using the most memory or downloading the most bytes in the Chrome Process Manager and can close them if not needed.

5. Chrome will constantly be downloading blacklisted websites to avoid malware and phishing attempts. This means, whatever runs within the browser is sandboxed for security reasons. Only the plugins which will be signed can be run in full trust environment.

6. Google has named the address bar of their browser as “omnibox” which like other browsers will have search suggestions. According to Google if you found a good site for digital cameras yesterday you don’t have to bookmark that Page. Just type Digital Cameras and get back to that page.

7. Like the privacy mode in the latest Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 you can create incognito window in Chrome and nothing that happens there will be stored on your computer. Your sessions will be cleared as soon as you close that window.

For Google their principle motive is to create a solid foundation for next generation modern web apps and to make internet to be a fair,smart and safe place.

This is quite an interesting idea , where you store all your data on the cloud and experience the web from anywhere. Sounds Pretty Cool! Though it will be quite early to say about its competition with other players already in the market but at least this should be something that internet would be eager to download. Google will release the beta version of Chrome today in around more than 100 countries.

This will be available only for Windows users initially, though Google is working for Mac and Linux versions as well. Keep watching them to get an early copy today.