A few hours earlier, Google Chrome, the search engine giant’s own web browser beta-launched. I downloaded the installer as soon as it was available, and have been using it for the last few hours. Check out my initial reactions and experiences thus far after the jump.
Unfortunately, Google Chrome failed to make a good first impression on me. My installation crashed when I tried to import bookmarks from Mozilla Firefox. On a similar note, it was a little disappointing that Chrome only lists IE and Firefox as sources to import cookies, bookmarks, and settings from, especially since my main browser is Opera.
What I Liked About the Google Chrome:
- It was surprisingly responsive and speedy. It opened web sites I usually have a hard time loading on Opera and Firefox
- The Incognito browsing feature that lets you surf without retaining history and cookies. I believe it’s especially useful when accessing internet banking and online payment facilities.
- The bookmarks tab that’s quite similar to Opera’s bookmark to personal bar capability.
- I haven’t had to download plug-ins to run videos and other content yet.
What I Disliked About the Google Chrome:
- It’s too simple. I realize that might be Google’s purpose, but for the moment, the browser is just too bare for my taste.
- The lack of an obvious menu bar may be confusing at first, but a couple of minutes browsing the Help section and you can easily navigate it.
I’m a bit in doubt whether to like or dislike the “most visited” list of web sites that’s displayed when you open a new tab though. In all, I really liked Google Chrome, but I doubt I’d mark it as my default browser anytime soon.
Download the Google Chrome web browser here.
