Others, such as the extension manager, are hidden away under a Tools submenu.Ĭhrome's extensions are fairly limited in how they can alter the browser's interface. Some controls, such as page zoom, are readily available. It's not the best layout, and it's easy to get lost in the configuration woods as Google moves options around. Settings open in a new tab, with many additional options available under various 'advanced settings' links. The former Wrench icon for accessing settings has been replaced with the Android-styled 'three-line' design. Although some users may not like having the tabs on top, we find it to be aesthetically preferable because it leaves more room below for the Web site we're looking at. Tabs are still on top, the location bar (aka Omnibox) dominates the minimalist design, and the browser has few visible control buttons besides Back, Forward, a combined Stop/Reload button, and Home. Google's Chrome interface has changed remarkably little since its surprise debut in September 2008. Depending on your processor, the installation process should take less than 2 minutes. You can toggle these from the Preferences menu (the three-line icon to the right of the location bar) under Settings, Advanced Settings, then Privacy Options. Although you used to be able to toggle this easily, Chrome now splits up the anonymous data tracking options into multiple categories. If you download the browser from Google's Web site, it will ask you if you'd like to anonymously submit usage statistics to the company. There's also Chrome for Android and Chrome for iOS.Ĭhrome's installation process is simple and straightforward.

Chrome beta ( Windows (download) | Mac (download)), Chrome dev ( Windows (download) | Mac (download)), and Chrome Canary ( Windows (download) | Mac (download)) are progressively less stable versions of the browser, and aimed at developers. Please note that there are at least four versions of Chrome available at the moment, and this review only addresses the 'stable' branch, intended for general use. For a while now, Google has been pushing features over what it calls milestone numbers in a rapid-release cycle, which means that as soon as new features are usable in the beta version of Chrome, Google will likely push them to all users in the stable edition. The browser that people can use today, Chrome 23, offers highly competitive features, including synchronization, autofill, and standards compliance, and maintains Google's reputation for building one of the fastest browsers available.Ĭhrome 23 represents a major milestone for the browser, but those expecting to see dramatic changes in major version-point updates will be disappointed. It's powerful enough to drive its own operating system, Chrome OS. Google Chrome has matured from a lightweight and fast browsing alternative into an innovative, standard-bearing browser that people love.

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