A month since its trial release, Google's Chrome web browser is gaining mixed reviews by web analysts. According to some users, Google Chrome is super-fast and easy to use; others complain that it is too bare, while competitors state their own products remain superior in the newly-congested browser market.

My personal tests of Chrome have been extremely positive, considering it is its VERSION 1 release. Google has again embraced the advantages of open source web development to deliver a product in a rare segment of the web they haven't yet cracked.

Creating a browser was a natural ‘next step' for Google.

Regardless of the browsers we - as internet users - have been using, we have been typing in the Google URL (www.google.com.au, www.google.com, etc.) more than any other URL worldwide. It was only a matter of time until Google decided that the place you type in URLs should also be owned by them.

Rather than creating a ‘me too', the techs at Google decided to add some key features to their product which would differentiate it from competitors like Internet Explorer (Microsoft's web browser), Firefox (Mozilla's web browser) and Safari (Apple's web browser):

• It has brought Google search into the browser
  One can type in a search term instead of the URL in the URL bar, and it will return a Google search.
• It has brought Google applications onto the browser
  One can access Gmail, Google Docs, etc from the browser itself.
• It downloads JavaScript faster
  Most web applications these days are written in JavaScript.
• Kills the tab, not the browser
  Like the others good browsers, it allows for tabbed browsing. But its difference is if one tab crashed, the other tabs are not affected.

It is clear from the first two points above that Google's greatest advantage is in its name. The fact that Google Search and Google Applications are so popular, making them more accessible for their users will ensure they flock to Google Chrome.

The other advantages are arguable in Chrome's early days.

Internet Explorer, with its new IE8, feels its product is also quick. After testing myself, I can state comfortably that it is not. It is crap, and it is a browser with everybody BUT the end-user in mind.

Firefox says its latest release is the best. After testing myself, I have to agree with the people at Mozilla. In speed, I do not sense a major difference with Chrome, but in options, Firefox is far better equipped due to the head-start it has had in the browser market.

Firefox has more plug-ins, add-ons, etc, which means it is more extendable NOW. IE is not extendable, while Chrome will catch up.

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