Google Chrome has been moved out of Beta

Google after releasing the 15th update for its Google Chrome Web browser and officially ended the beta testing phase for the application Thursday. It already has some 10 million active users. With the 15 updates under its belt, the browser has improved its stability and performance.

"Google Chrome is a better browser today thanks to the many users who sent their feedback and the many more who enabled automatic crash reports, helping us rapidly diagnose and fix issues," they wrote in a Google blog post.

Shortest of Beta Period at Google: The Chrome seems to have spent the shortest period of time in beta status. Considering the previous record of Google which is known for taking its time with beta projects, even in its most popular offerings - this is a healthy development. Launched in September 2008 Chrome was in beta for just three months. If you compare this with Google's Gmail e-mail which began beta testing in April 2004, and more than four years later, the e-mail app is still there.

However Google says that it applies a different time frame and standard to its client software than other offerings. Google also indicated that Chrome was fairly advanced when it was released in beta.

What is new in Google Chrome

• Google Chrome is built on the Chromium open source project, anyone can see features being developed by Google's team and the developer community.
• Chrome now offers users better stability and plug-in performance. Video and audio issues and other common bugs have been fixed.
• Speed has also been a focus and now the javaScript engine runs 1.4 times faster.
• It is now easier to switch between another browser and Chrome with bookmark import and export features. Google also worked to give users greater control of their data. To that end, all features in Chrome that affect user privacy are grouped in one place with an explanation regarding what each one actually does.

I am using both Firefox and Google Chrome as some of the sites are still not designed from Chrome and show display errors. So the users who were shying away till now can download from here and start using Google Chrome.

Why Google Chrome

Google has launched new browser Chrome. Why Google Apps users should use Google Chrome?

Google Chrome like many other free products (Google Apps, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft's Windows Media Player, Apple's iTunes etc) is another attempt to gain control over a critical aspect of your day to day computing. Google is obviously not doing charity to to give away free products like Google Apps and Google Chrome. Leave aside the great reasons the comic like strip Google has provided while launching the Chrome - there is an inherent reason why they have launched Google Chrome.

Considering that future is more in the cloud and most of the applications (including Google Apps) will be accessed through a web browser. If Google owns your browser, and it's the search engine you already use, and, perhaps, it's the online calendar and e-mail system you use, its docs (Google Docs), wiki (Google Sites) you use - then all the dots start to be connected. Suppose - using Google services become as comparable as Microsoft Office then you will have no reason to leave your browser (read Google Chrome) at any time in your day-to-day computing. Making Google Apps services faster and easy to access is very crucial for Google and depending on other browsers may not help them. That is the reason they have to come up with their own browser. Making the search integrated to url address bar has ensured that once you have selected Google as search engine - the others search engines will never get a chance. Google Chrome is part of a well laid out plan to remove supremacy of competitors.

Obviously, I can see my Gmail is faster in Google Chrome and Google docs and sites open really fast when using Chrome. However that is not the case with some other sites /applications I use - where I find Firefox to be better. But if you are a Google Apps user it will be more sense to use Google Chrome.

I am for now using both Google Chrome and Firefox and IE rarely. if you need you can download Google Chrome from:

http://www.google.com/chrome