New Chrome Beta is Faster, Shinier Than Ever
New Chrome Beta is Faster, Shinier Than Ever
Posted 08/06/2009 at 1:27pm
| by Andy Salisbury
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Yesterday Google released a brand new beta for their Chrome web browser, this time in the interest of ironing out kinks with some new features that they’ve added. Among the new features are an updated “New Tab,” the Omnibox, and the ability to beautify your browser by using colors, patterns and images.
The New Tab feature is being slightly tweaked by allowing you to move around your most visited sites by simply clicking and dragging, letting you show off just how not into Twitter you really are. You can even pin thumbnails to specific spots. The Omnibox (read: the address bar) is getting a facelift, and giving you Google search results and related history items whenever you type anything in.
Most notably though, the color changing feature will allow you to alter exactly how Chrome looks. Should you want to be reminded of fresh cut grass each time you browse the net, you may do so. Or if you want to have cute kittens gazing at you while you read the day’s news, you can do that as well, we’re not here to judge.
You can check out the beta here, but there’s no word as to when these updates will make their way to the official release.
Image Credit: Google
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Digihotaru
August 11, 2009 at 12:21am
I just noticed another change to Chrome that will be quite welcome to Win7 users. Chrome windows that have been created using the "create application shortcuts" option from the page menu will now identify themselves as independent apps to the O/S. When the new Win7 taskbar clusters all instances of Chrome into a single button, my instances of gmail, google calendar, and yahoo mail still remain distinctly separate taskbar buttons. Yay!
Illidankilla
August 07, 2009 at 10:21am
I think the visual design team is blind. Im not using it just cuz it looks really bad imo.... thers gotta be somone who agrees with me?
Sharkman6684
August 07, 2009 at 9:33am
The box has always given search results and history. They just added icons to distinguish them in the new beta.
Hoboparade
August 07, 2009 at 6:17am
The only thing I dislike is having to either write a plugin or edit the path to make minor changes to the browers, for instace shutting off Java/JavaScript. Other than that I like the light weigh feel of the browser.
JDK
August 07, 2009 at 5:58am
Updated and impressed. Didn't think it could actually get any faster at this point.
wk
August 07, 2009 at 2:26am
does anyone else have the same problem, i downloaded latest beta version but themes page seems to have problem applying new themes.
MPC is my home page
gmvolk
August 06, 2009 at 5:58pm
I wish they would put the effort into intergrating google bookmarks instead of useless features like this. Also need plugins to add real enhancements. Until then, firefox is the only browser I use.
chocobo
August 06, 2009 at 6:10pm
Completely agreed about the bookmarks. I use Firefox mainly, sometimes I use IE in the rare situation that Firefox has a compatibility problem or if I'm using a public computer. I keep most of my bookmarks saved by using the Google Toolbar, which also has a convenient button to access my email that even lights up when I have mail.
But for some reason, I can't use this or access the same bookmarks when trying out Google's own browser. This is something I'd expect from Microsoft, not Google.
Chrome is well made and is even faster than Firefox, but it'll never work with Adblock Plus so I'll never switch.
dag1992
August 06, 2009 at 2:30pm
At this point it seems like I'm the only person who doesn't like Chrome. Not that it's a bad piece of software by any means.
horzo
August 06, 2009 at 2:41pm
It's not about disliking it for me... I just don't see the point. Firefox 3.5 does the job and has features Chrome lacks.
I'll keep an eye on it, but as of now I'm not compelled.
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