Chrome is a misnomer.
I downloaded Google’s new internet browser today with low expectations, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Chrome comes packed with a few features that are just “Nifty” enough to make me look forward to the final release (it’s currently in beta) Here’s a list of some of the cool new features:
- “Isolated” tabs designed to prevent browser crashes and a more powerful JavaScript engine.
- Every time you open a new tab, you’ll see a visual sampling of your most visited sites, most used search engines, and recently bookmarked pages and closed tabs
- the ability to use web apps without opening your browser. Application shortcuts can directly load your favorite online apps
- You can drag tabs out of the browser to create new windows
- Google Chrome warns you if you’re about to visit a suspected phishing, malware or otherwise unsafe website.
- No intrusive download manager; you see your download’s status at the bottom of your current window
- Incognito mode - Don’t want pages you visit to show up in your web history? Choose incognito mode for private browsing
There are definitely some cool features there that I would love to see make it to Firefox. ( I love the dragging tabs feature…I know, I know, the most underwhelming is my favorite…) That being said, there are a few things I don’t like about Chrome.
Incognito mode, for instance is rather sleazy in it’s very nature. Google billed it’s purpose as “For times when you want to browse in stealth mode, for example, to plan surprises like gifts or birthdays.” Bull. As an online acquaintance of mine so excellently put it: “…Incognito Windows were designed for kids to surf pr0ns.” Surprises like gifts or birthdays my butt. I think that I would, oddly enough, be less offended if they had the balls to just come out and say they’re for your “adult privacy.”
Another thing is the speed. I ran side by side tests on Chrome and Firefox, and Chrome is clearly slower, despit Google’s claim that it will make the internet “faster, safer, and easier.” I give it a little bit of leniency in this department, as it is in beta.
Chrome just feels way too drab. From the boring blue task bar at the top, to the tabs that really fail to stand out in any way, It just seems so bland. Shouldn’t something called “Chrome” be a bit flashier? I don’t want bling, I just want something that stands out. And yes, that is a little vain, but this is the 21st century, and I want a sleek design, darn it! What do IE and Firefox have in common? The interface is blocky, boring. This is Google’s chance! Give me eye-candy!
I must like Chrome deep down, because I can’t really think of anything else to complain about. A few things I would love to see make their way to the final version:
- Swappable colors for the user bar at the top, the blue doesn’t do it for me.
- A one-click, drop-down list of your bookmarks.
- A Rick-Roll detector that warns you when you hover over a link.
- More cowbell
- Pirates.
Yep, that about sums it up. Chrome is a solid browser, but lacks the polish that it will take to make me set it as my default browser. Maybe in the future…maybe…
