Google Chrome beta

Everybody's been talking about Google's new browser, Chrome, for the past few days. I was disappointed to find out it was Windows-only so far, but access to a PC isn't exactly sparse. So I downloaded the beta version of Chrome, and I was pleasantly surprised. Chrome is not only the fastest, most efficient browser for Windows, it's innovative and makes browsing your favorite websites even better.

The first thing I noticed about Chrome is the interface. For the most part the interface is fantastic, but it has its downsides too. I can't get over how Windows XP-ish the tab bar of the browser looks; it's Windows blue and looks like something that would've been native to XP. Blech. Another thing that irked me a bit was that the tab bar is above the browser controls (back, forward, refresh, etc.). I know Google is trying to make Chrome new and different from other browsers, but I really can't see how this would increase productivity or comfort. However, putting that out of my mind, the rest of the interface is minimalist and efficient. Google stated that they wanted the browser to do its job and "get out of your way" while browsing the net, and I'm not sure they could've done a better job at it. They've perfectly crafted a browser interface that is a mix between full-screen browsing and normal browsing, allowing you to keep the address bar and controls, but pretty much nothing else. Viewing sites in Chrome lets you see far more of the page than any other browser, unless it's in full screen mode. When downloading something, a downloads bar spans the screen at the bottom of the browser, which tells you how much of the file has been downloaded. You can right click the download for options, and when the download is done, click the X on the side to remove the bar. Other options like preferences are on-screen in the form of graphics, the preferences option being the magnifying glass.

Another thing Google wanted to do with Chrome was improve speed -- not just browsing speed, but the speed of the application itself. In this regard, they have completely succeeded. On a computer with Windows XP with nothing running, I clicked Firefox, and three seconds later clicked Chrome. Guess which popped up first. It was indeed Chrome, a full four seconds faster than Firefox, and that was AFTER opening Firefox first. Alright, that's pretty awesome, but did they increase browsing speed? The short answer is yes. And the long answer is also pretty much yes. With nothing but Chrome running, webpages loaded unbelievably fast. I'm talking faster than any browser I've used on Mac or Windows. With even one program running, though, the speed dramatically slows down. Though the change is dramatic, I found that Chrome still loaded pages faster than Firefox with apps open. So Chrome definitely delivers as far as speed goes.

Although Chrome is currently only a beta, I would use it before any other "full" browser were I to switch back to Windows. That's saying a lot. As good as Chrome is in beta, one can only imagine what will come with the full release. It's not the prettiest browser, but like I said before, that's not what Google was going for. Chrome is the perfect browser if you disregard what it looks like, if you're a person who uses a browser to specifically BROWSE, or if you like a minimalist interface. I can only wait patiently for Chrome for Mac, and only time will tell whether it'll trump Safari as my browser of choice, but honestly, after using Chrome beta (for Windows, nonetheless), I wouldn't be too surprised.

6/7