Chrome Beta for Android

Today Google launched the long rumoured Chrome for Android. This new release brings Google's desktop browser to their mobile platform for the first time, creating synergy across their product range (like Apple with Safari).

Chrome for Android is currently still in beta, however it is available to everyone for free from the Android Marketplace. At this time it does not replace the existing Android browser, but I would expect it to become the default in a future Android release.

Although it is still early days for the browser it's already boasting some interesting new features, for example a new user interface, better tab management (that looks a lot like cards from webOS), bookmark and tab synchronisation, incognito windows and Link Preview (that makes it easier to select the right link in a densely-populated area of a page).

Users of the desktop version of Chrome will be familiar with most of these features, but it's great to see that Google have spent time customising them for the mobile environment.

Chrome for Android stands out as another major milestone for the platform, which for users of Google services (like me) makes Android an increasingly compelling product. For more information on Chrome for Android head over to The Verge, where they have a full preview, including performance results.

Add a Bookmark Button to Google Chrome

I am a big fan of Google Chrome. It is my primary browser on Windows and is not too far away from replacing Safari on the Mac. Personally I think WebKit is the future of browser technology (even with IE 9 showing some interesting features) as I love the combination of compatibility, speed and reliability.

One thing that has always frustrated me about Google Chrome is it's lack of a proper "drop down" bookmarks menu. Instead you are forced to use the auto-complete address bar, the limited bookmarks bar or open the bookmarks manager, which is quite cumbersome. Thankfully with a simple change to your Chrome launching shortcut you can add the missing functionality.

Locate your Chrome launching shortcut and right-click "Properties".

Under the "Shortcut" tab, edit the "Target" by adding " --bookmark-menu".

Click "Apply" and close the properties menu. Now when you launch Chrome you will notice a new icon next to the address bar.

This icon will provide you with a full "drop down" bookmarks menu just like Internet Explorer and Firefox. Please note this only works for Windows and you will need to update your other Chrome shortcuts (such as the ones pinned to your start menu).

Google Chrome for Mac Released

Over the past few months the Chromium team (the open source project behind Google Chrome) have slowly been releasing beta versions of Chrome for Mac. They have now reached a milestone with the release of the Developers Preview, which can be downloaded from the Chromium website.

It is important to note that this is not the final consumer release and therefore is expected to still have some bugs/performance issues. With that in mind, let's take a look.

Anyone who is familiar with Google Chrome on Windows will be right at home with the Mac version. The UI is essentially the same, providing a lightweight, streamlined menu system with the iconic tab bar located at the top.

Although showing as version 4.0, Chrome is not as mature as the Windows version and therefore in my experience not as fast at this stage (especially when compared to Safari 4). However it does seem to be compatible with all modern web applications, such as Google Wave and Facebook etc.

This Developers Preview of Chrome brings support for third party plugins (such as Flash), however they do seem to suffer from some performance issues. Although, it is important to keep in mind that this version of Chrome will be followed up by the full consumer release, by which time I would expect these issues to be resolved.

Check out the final two screenshots below showing "bookmarks" and "theme selection".

Overall it looks like Google Chrome is set to continue the success it has had on Windows. Once the final few performance issues have been resolved it will definitely be a major competitor to Safari and Firefox on the Mac. I suggest you download the Developers Preview now from the Chromium website.

Google Chrome for Mac

Chromium is the open source project behind Google Chrome and they just released a beta version for Mac OS X.

The browser looks and works just like the official version of Google Chrome for Windows. However, at this time, it does not have compatibility for third party plug-ins such as Flash or Quicktime and therefore it can't really be used as your full time browser. Despite this it does mark the first steps into cross platform compatibility and gives you a good feel for what Chrome will be like on the Mac.

I suggest you head over to the Chromium website and give it a test.