Google Chrome - Review

This is a review of Google Chrome, the much talked about website browser from Google. 

Comparison is against Internet Explorer (Version 7 and above) based on my own user experience.

First impression … It looks like Internet Explorer. It feels like Internet Explorer. If it smelt, it would probably smell like Internet Explorer. Newer, fresher and faster.

Look and feel … I recall Google Chrome making my screen look larger. Perhaps it’s the rounded edges of the tabs, or simply the colour scheme or the brightness levels. Either way, the effect was good.

Speed … some claim that Google Chrome gives you faster browsing (some specifically mention for browsing of heavy Java pages). In my case, it certainly seems to be a lot faster than IE.

Truth is, I’m a bit biased as I have been having problems with my Internet Explorer (Version 7 and also after installing Version 8.2 Beta) – IE hangs each and every time I manually type in a URL.

Graphics loading seems faster which makes navigation that much smoother. Google Chrome also does not seem to slow down when multiple tabs are opened – which seemed to be a problem with IE.

I’m not using the latest hardware (in fact it’s quite outdated) together with a 1MB DSL connection. Also implies that Google Chrome is suitable for ‘slower systems’.

Stability ... each tab in Google Chrome is a separate part of the program. What this means to you and me is that if any of the pages crash, only that page in that tab crashes – not the whole program. Have not had any pages crash on me so far, so couldn’t really comment further.

Privacy … this is where I have a problem.

If you set your homepage to anything other than blank, this happens when you open a new tab. If you don’t, this happens when you start up Google Chrome: The page will show graphical representations (screen shots, if you may) of sites recently visited.

Not so much a problem if you are on the straight and narrow, but in all honesty, nobody would be comfortable showing others where they have been on the net … even if were only to check TV listings.

As at this point, there is no known method to stop Google Chrome from displaying this information for all to see.

However, there is an option called ‘Incognito’ mode, where a separate browser will appear and you can surf the net without leaving any trace. Note that this is NOT the default mode and has to be activated manually when needed.

There is also a detailed user log in webpage format. May be deleted manually, but again the hassle involved to cover your tracks.

Menus and Options … very limited for now. Very few settings for options and preferences.

The ‘favourites’ folder is also troublesome to manage as it is only accessible from the drop down menu. However, you can compile your favourite bookmarks under a folder name and put the whole folder as a drop down menu near the top of the screen.

Users of other open-source software would of course appreciate that this is a newly released program and more gadgets and gizmos will soon be added to beef up Google Chrome.

Recall the open-source software: OpenOffice, when it was first released and how far it has come since then. Users would know that although lacking in some areas, there are several useful tools and additions OpenOffice has but Microsoft Office does not.

Similar hopes ride with Google Chrome.

Verdict … download it and give it a try. Just be mindful of the privacy issues.