I’ve just installed Google’s latest attack on traditional Microsoft markets - their new web browser, “Chrome”. Now I’ve seen a lot of “techie” reviews of Chrome over the past couple of days, but most people are going to be more interested in how Chrome seems to perform, rather than what goes on under the hood.

So this is a “low-tech” review And it’s not meant to be a comprehensive review.. just my comments on what, from a surfer’s point of view, struck me initially. And they’re pretty random!

First impressions were good. The installation went smoothly, and Chrome imported all my IE bookmarks accurately.

Tiny Toolbar
When I first opened up my new, shiny browser, I was impressed (and a little startled) by the minimalistic appearance. It’s true that my IE top is stuffed with various toolbars and addons, but even so, “Chrome” lacks the array of buttons for its different functions. They are all tucked into drop-down menus from a couple of buttons top-right of the browser.

So, the minor tools that you need from time to time are all tucked away and don’t interfere with your main need - looking at websites! I’ve had to reduce the image size to fit in here, so it’s not a brilliant representation. But here’s Chrome’s total toolbar:

Text Rendering
When I first started to access sites with Chrome, I was initially disappointed with the appearance of the text. I’ve grown to like the “anti-aliasing” effect of text in IE 7. Chrome’s text rendering is more like that of Firefox. Here’s a comparison of the three, looking at the same bit of web page:

So, if you’re a FF fan, you’ll be OK with this. But IE7 supporters will be disappointed with Chrome’s text rendering.

Predictive Text
After I’d visited a few sites, I noticed that, when you start to type an URL into the address box, Chrome’s “predictive text” feature kicks in. This is better than the IE version - it highlights (with a star) sites you have previously visited:

Startup Tabs
I like this feature! Each morning I regularly open 5 or 6 websites, checking sales and website stats. I’ve got a couple of bits of software which will open multiple web pages when I start work. But Chrome has eliminated this software need. In “Options”, just set the web pages you want opening when you start up Chrome:

Help Files
Absolutely essential with a new product. And Google’s Help Pages are first class. Just select “Help” from under the spanner icon button and a new tab opens up with Chrome’s support pages:

Overall
OK, this review has been as minimalistic as Chrome’s interface. I could, no doubt, spend many happy hours, exploring every nook and cranny of Chrome. And no doubt many people will.

But I hope that I’ve given you a flavour of what Chrome is like. Generally, I like it. I’ll possibly use it more than Firefox. And it will certainly make my morning online tasks a lot more productive!

If you’d like to comment on your experience with “Chrome”, please leave your comments below (all comments are moderated, so your comment won’t appear immediately).