Google's Chrome Polished and Ready for Download
Internet Explorer 8 hasn't even been released yet, and already Microsoft is facing stiffer competition in the browser market. Tuesday Google offered its web browser, Chrome, for download. Chrome's release has already been widely publicized, so I'll shorten reviewing its features and focus on its ultimate impact. Chrome is very similar to Firefox, but it also employs some of the better features from Opera, Safari, and IE as well. It's a free download, so visit www.google.com/chrome to give it a test run. What's much more interesting than its entry into the browser market is the possibility that eventually Chrome could challenge Windows as a new operating system.
A number of bloggers have dismissed the likelihood that Google's ultimate goal is to make Microsoft irrelevant. Others have decried Google's ubiquity and fear the company will take over the world (something I've done before). Without getting too technical, imagine what it would mean for businesses if they didn't need to purchase an operating system license. Now imagine what it would mean for consumers if their laptops and PC's didn't need all the hardware and software that would disappear in a Windows-free world. The bottom line is that it would be much cheaper to access the Internet.
What do you think of Chrome? Is it just another browser with the same features as IE and Firefox, or will it change the way people go online and make Windows a relic?
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You know, Liz, you made me think of something else, here. You made me think about the corporations that can do no wrong; the ones who don't even need to apologise when they step on your bunions.
I've started a list. You might like to join me. There's a definite CRM phenomenon here, but the other way around!
Well, Liz, there would have been no need for positive reputation management if the legal counsels had done their job. That is not really something one can say "ooops, sorry!" about.
The sooner folk realise that Big G is not a cute cuddly puppy and is an ordinary corporation the better. It may have been started by a couple of endearing students, but it is now a massive money machine.
I heard that thanks to Google's proactive reputation management and social media monitoring, they read about people's unhappiness about its user agreement, and changed it within 24 hours of its release this week. Apparently it was a standard part of an old agreement they forgot to take out.
I've been using Chrome for a short while, too. It's okay, but it really isn't special. I've blogged a series of articles about it, not least of which is the fact that it really doesn't work properly at all with Facebook.
To me that's a major omission, as is the initial part of their terms and conditions that says "Anything you publish through this belongs to us."
Legal at Google didn't have its act together, and the product manager obviously never actually read the Ts & Cs. That's inexcusable.
Except that everyone treats Big G as if it were a cuddly puppy and forgives it everything.
I'll introduce you to my review and your readers can see is any of the other stuff interests them. I commend the one about a shocked Granny, though! Chrome has the ability to "out" your surfing habits to your family like no other browser!
I have been playing with Google Chrome for a couple of days. Beta Chrome works much better than beta Internet Explorer 8.0 which is also available now. Chrome seems to handle all web sites properly; IE has some problems. They can be "solved" by using the IE 7.x "emulator," but why should we have to?
Overall, Chrome is a terrific system; I hope it kicks butt.