It was only a matter of time before Google who relies on the web to make money came up with its own web browser. Dubbed “Chrome,” Google claims that this browser will be a platform for web pages and applications:
“On the surface, we designed a browser window that is streamlined and simple. To most people, it isn’t the browser that matters. It’s only a tool to run the important stuff — the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go.
Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today’s complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated “sandbox”, we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren’t even possible in today’s browsers.”
Assuming that this browser delivers everything it promises, it will be competition that Microsoft (with Internet Explorer) and Mozilla (with Firefox) will find hard to beat. Even if it isn’t, one can assume that Google will gain marketshare by simply having a browser with their name on it.
The browser will be available “sometime today” in beta form. It may be worth a download to see if it lives up to the hype.