Google Chrome

Software giant Google has recently released its brand new open source web browser, Chrome. Marketing it as a safer, faster and more stable way of browsing the net than its rivals.

When you first install Chrome you will be impressed at the acres of screen real estate it opens up. You may very well enter an agoraphobic hysteria at all the expansive space if you're accustomed to toolbars making up three-quarters of your screen.

At the same time, in doing away with all the extra toolbars, searchbars and the like, Chrome keeps things simple by integrating almost everything into the address bar. From here you can look up web addresses as usual but also use it to do a Google search or search your history.

One of the major features of Chrome is the development of independent processes for each site tab you have open. What this ultimately means is that if something goes wrong with a web page in one of the tabs you have open it won't trigger the cataclysmic end of the universe. Instead, all that will happen is that individual tab is dropped allowing you to browse as normal (minus the culprit tab).

Chrome also brings faster and stronger JavaScript parsing to the field. Taking the argument that current browsers have an archaic grasp on the functionality of JavaScript, from when it was fairly limited in its functionality and scope. As website applications have expanded and sites are implementing technologies such as AJAX a more efficient way of dealing with large front end applications was necessary.

Security wise Chrome promises to help fight against malicious websites and phishing. Harnessing the power of Google's vast internet trawling power, Google hopes to stay a step ahead of phishing sites wanting your banking and credit card details by alerting you if the site you're visiting is phishing by checking with Google's site trawlers first. Warning you if the page you are trying to view has been marked as a phishing site.

But is this enough to make you switch from your current browser? Well for one, if you're using a Mac or Linux you can't for the moment. And I for one still prefer FireFox. Together with it's extensions and having used the product since it was in Beta develops a certain brand loyalty.

At the same time if Chrome doesn't prove to be popular hopefully - and this is something Google have said themselves - their rivals can adopt some of the Chrome technologies in their browsers to enable a better browsing experience for all.