Chrome beta review

Chrome Beta review

A while back I wrote an article review on which the fastest Android browser was, however, that was before I had an Ice Cream Sandwich device and could try out the Chrome beta browser. Now before you read, there aren't any speed tests within this review, but I will be reviewing the whole Chrome beta application and everything about it.

For those of you who don't know, Google Chrome is the most popular web browser in the world and the only reason it isn't further in front is simply due to the simple fact that Safari and Internet Explorer are the default browsers on Mac and Windows. The reason the Chrome browser is the most popular is simply the fact that it is by far the quickest and the easiest and the most user-friendly browser too. What Google have done is bring the Chrome browser to android and good god, they've done a brilliant job with the conversion. Get ready to read a raving review!

As always, we'll begin with the layout of the Chrome beta browser and my opinions on the design of the application itself. When you first start the application up, you're brought to a screen that allows you to choose from your bookmarks that sync with your Google account which you can sign into on your Chrome desktop browser and then on your Chrome mobile browser too and it synchronises across your saved Bookmarks and your open tabs. These options are all available along the bottom row of the application, each having their own assigned tab. Along the top, you obviously have your search bar where yo can search for addresses and it will automatically Google search something if it is not an address (which is a feature I'm glad they pulled over from the desktop version.) Next to this you have the tabs button which is where the application really comes into it's own. The card view is simply gorgeous, it shows the Tabs in cards that look like they've been slightly separated and you can view the top section of the Tabs (check the picture below for a better look.) With these Tabs, you can swipe them to the side to get rid of them (or be boring and hit the little “x” on each tab.) Next to the tabs, you have your settings button which is obviously designed for ICS devices. This settings bar brings down such options as Previous, Next, Favourites, new tab, new incognito tab, bookmarks, other devices, share, find in page, request desktop site, settings and a help option. These options really give you something different to other Browsers on the market, it is very similar to the base Android browser in features, but it's sleeker and quicker and the ability to synch live tabs really puts this application in front.

The Google Chrome desktop browser is popular because it is simply the fastest and cleanest browser you can get. And boy is this Browser fast too, now I haven't done a Browser speed comparison with this and any other browsers yet, but I hope to do one in the future. However, Chrome sure does feel fast when browsing through website, scrolling and zooming in and out. There's a little lag when zooming in and out (which is done with pinching obviously) but this is a beta so hopefully those issues will be sorted for the full version. However, be rest assured: knowing Google, I can definitely see this Browser getting quicker and smoother and more secure as they bring out the full version and future updates.

As I've pointed out before, this application has a natural beauty about it, with the simple beige colour that is seen all over and the beautiful animations that the application uses with the ability to merely swipe away tabs and the accelerometer controls of the tabs. They do feel slightly like little gimmicks, but they work so well that I've found myself using them more often than I thought I would be. There is a feature within the application where if you click on a button within a web page that is rather small, the browser will show you a magnified view of the Tab which is such a simple yet helpful idea.

Now I do have the mention that this application is still in the Beta zone, despite it being available to the public. However, saying this, it really doesn't feel like it is a work in progress as nine times out of ten it works. However, there are a few niggles that I'm sure will be worked out in the full version. Sometimes pages don't load if they're opened from an external link such as on Facebook when you open a page link, it may not load the page or may take a good minute or so to register and load the page. Another slight problem is with the automatic magnify tool I mentioned earlier; it works about six times out of ten and I'm still not one hundred percent sure as to where it is enabled and how to access it. On the other hand, this does still feel like a very well worked-on application and I'm looking forward to seeing any extra features they bring to the full version.

So overall, this Chrome browser is my personal favourite and my primary browser at the moment. Unfortunately it does not support Flash which is a big downer considering I use Flash for online videos and so I find myself having to revert myself back to the default Browser. I feel, however, that they might bring this into the full version even though it appears Adobe and even Google are saying Flash isn't going to be continuing in Mobile Phones much longer. If Google could enable Flash, sort out the magnify issue and work out some of the Beta bugs for the full version, I could see myself using this Browser for everything on my phone.

Usability – 8.6

Options – 8.9

Presentation – 9.3

Dependability – 8.3

OVERALL - 8.8

Download Chrome beta

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