Chrome has launched in the Android Market for phones and tablets operating 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This is the first “official” Chrome to be released for Android. Since it’s a beta rollout, it’s not going to be a game changer for how use utilize your mobile browser, but it definitely creates a more fluid way of browsing, and for that alone Google gets an A for effort from me!
When you open Chrome, (I used a Nexus S) you’re obviously going to notice the interface. You’re first required to login to your Google account and synchronize. Then the tabs are presented on the browser via cascading thumbnails, and you can tap to open a specific tab or even “stretch” a tab to get a better peek of the thumbnail. Sick of a tab? Either tap the ‘x’ or slide it off the page/browser by flicking your finger. Not everyone in the office seems to be a fan of this interface, but I like the visual appeal.
After you synchronize your Google accounts, surprise! All of your tabs open on your desktop’s Chrome browser are linked to your Android’s Chrome browser as well. So if you’re ever browsing at your desktop and need to walk away, just open Chrome on your Android and resume whatever you were doing…this is why they have you log in and synchronize your accounts. I amused myself for a while bookmarking tabs on my desktop and then checking the Nexus for said changes. I was pleased to see that every time I added a bookmark, my phone represented the additions almost simultaneously!
Google has made it known they want to make Chrome the default Android browser in the long-haul. Since I’ve already addressed all of the good aspects of Chrome beta, I’ll talk about some of the bugs. The main one I noticed was part of the new interface-if you’re looking at a webpage that has a cluster of small links in one concentrated area, a pop up is supposed to appear when you tap on it to enhance the font size and help you select your desired link. Unfortunately at the moment, the pop up bubble didn’t work for me and I usually selected the wrong link and got pissed off. The only other glitches I noticed were slowing/freezing when browsing the internet at times. Again, these things are to be expected in beta and I have faith that Google can fix these problems before an official Chrome release.
Overall, I think Chrome beta is an great download, and you should go do it now. Then you should tell us your thoughts/opinions about it!
[VIA] The Verge
