Thursday, March 11, 2010

Google Chrome 4.0

It’s easy to forget that Chrome is relatively new to the browser market. Unveiled in September 2008, it now has a 5.2 per cent share of the market – larger than both Apple’s Safari and Opera – placing it third in popularity after Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Nationwide advertising in newspapers and on billboards has alerted everyone to Chrome’s presence but, given that it is only around 18 months old, it’s surprising that we’re already onto version four – Firefox, launched in 2004, is only at 3.6. If you’ve used previous versions of Chrome, you won’t immediately notice much difference, but there are a couple of new functions that have been added that should make your life easier.

Firstly, there is a bookmark sync feature that lets you synchronise bookmarks across several PCs so that your home computer, laptop and work computer all have the same quick links to the sites you visit regularly. Handy, though the same can be achieved in Firefox or Opera with the relevant add-ons.

Secondly, Chrome now has a huge selection of extensions that offer everything from quick access to web applications from sites such as eBay to the ability to compare prices when you shop online using InvisibleHand (www.getinvisiblehand.com). There are already some 1,500 extensions in the Chrome gallery and there’ll be more to come. If you’ve been using the latest version of Firefox or Opera, you won’t find Chrome 4.0 that much quicker though we found it to be noticeably faster than Internet Explorer 8.

One thing we have always liked about Chrome is that once a new version is released, it is automatically updated on your system without you having to do anything. None of the other major browsers do this.

Unlike Opera and Firefox, though, new versions of Chrome don’t come for all platforms at the same time – there is no version 4 for those on Mac or Linux-based systems at the moment. But, if you are running Windows and haven’t given Chrome a go yet, this latest version is definitely worth a try.

Source of Information : WebUser February 11 2010

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