Google Chrome Beta for Android 4.0 and Higher
The experience of the Google Chrome for Android Beta is a zippy and effective web browser for Android 4.0 owners if they are looking for a enthralling browsing experience. The browser is currently available in selected countries and languages The browsing on the device is smooth. The Google Chrome for desktop and laptop was an instant rage and is one of the top two leading players of the browser market in that section along with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The focus still remains on speed and simplicity. The first version was launched on 7th February and from then, it has been updated a couple of times. Though the application still remains in Beta mode, it is anticipated that Google is planning to update it to a full version pretty soon.
Main Menu
Chrome’s main homepage that is very much reminiscent of its desktop counterpart. You have shortcuts to your recently opened, and most frequently accessed pages, the inevitable and extremely helpful omnibar to help you conduct online queries, and a couple of tabs at the bottom to provide you quick access to your mobile and desktop bookmarks, as well as tabs that are currently opened on another device (computer, smartphone or tablet; requires sign-in). To sign in to the desktop version of Chrome, just tap the tiny wrench icon at the top-right, click Sign in to Chrome…, provide your login credentials, and you’re good to go!
This is a wonder product from Google and rides high on innovation, setting benchmarks for the contemporary mobile web browsers and currently, no other browser comes even close to the giant named Chrome. Apart from the out of the box features of the device, it also has certain typical features found in standard browsers. These include bookmarking favorite webpages from within the browser (with offline access support), auto-filling of forms, in-page search support, option to set a preferred search service (from Google, Bing and Yahoo!), JavaScript support, built-in pop-up blocker, extended privacy settings, close all open tabs with a single tab, and lots more.
The app’s main menu homes several handy features including navigation controls, bookmark button (represented by a star), and options to open New tab, New Incognito tab, Bookmarks manager, tabs currently opened on Other devices, in-page searching and sharing, app’s Settings screen and Help.
The Home Screen - Bookmarks, Most Visited, Devices
The browser in high on creativity and provides the following features:
- Browse fast with accelerated page loading, scrolling, and zooming
The pages load in a snap, the Chrome is ultra fast. The speed of browsing is perhaps the best than any other platform for Android. Pages load in hardware-accelerated page rendering. Hardware Acceleration lets Chrome move all graphics and text rendering from the CPU to the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Rendering is the process of using computer code to display the text and graphics that you see on your screen. This lets you fly through the web pages and make your Chrome experience real fast.
- Search and navigate directly from the omnibox
The search bar at the top of the screen(also known as the omnibox) doubles up as the search bar and search suggestion box. As you start typing in the box, it automatically starts suggesting searches and websites. You can choose from results that appear as you type. The top search result loads in the background, available instantly. So basically, we can search and navigate from the same box, a feature typical of Google Chrome. Other browsers would otherwise require you to install a Google toolbar to enable search suggestions.
The Omnibox
- Open and switch between unlimited tabs in an easy-to-view stack
You can open unlimited tabs on the browser and switch easily, flipping like a deck of cards using intuitive gestures or just swiping from
Tab Stacking on HTC One X
edge to edge and holding at the tab of your choice. The swiping function might come off a little tough to handle when you have multiple tabs open, as soon as you start swiping from the far edge to swipe through to the next tab, you might find yourself on the tab on the other extreme end of the tab you were currently on. The trick to handle it lies in keeping a constant eye on the tab space and seeing the current highlighted/dimmed tab and seize swiping once you are the desired tab.
With multiple tabs opened simultaneously, you can easily switch between any two by swiping left/right from either edge of your screen. Provided you are surfing the web using a Wi-Fi connection, you can also enable the Preload webpages option from within the Menu > Settings > Bandwidth management to let Chrome load other relevant webpages within an open website; handy for a faster browsing experience. The app also sports a rather scant developers segment that is surely to be beefed up with some noteworthy features in future iterations.
Though the stacking feature is there on Mobile phones and the tablet would have a stacking of the tab at the top of your screen just like in case of Chrome on your computers.
- Sign in to Chrome to sync your bookmarks and view tabs you have open on your computer
Chrome offers a highly personalized experience, once you sign into your Google account, then you can share your browser experience across all the platforms you use Chrome on, across your desktop, laptop, tablets and
mobile phone. Your open tabs, bookmarks and omnibox are all synched across all your devices and can be accessed at any of these.
- View open tabs: Access the tabs you left open on your computer (also signed into Chrome)—picking up exactly where you left off.
- Get smarter suggestions: If you visit a site often on your computer, you’ll also get an autocomplete suggestion for it on your mobile device, so you can spend less time typing.
- Sync bookmarks: Conveniently access your favorite sites no matter where you are or which device you’re using.
- Send pages from desktop Chrome to your smartphone or tablet with one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline
You just need to install the Google ‘Chrome to Mobile Beta’ app on your Desktop Chrome browser and your mobile device is added on to your list of devices on your desktop browser. The reverse syncing future (from mobile to desktop), if added, would further enhance the ever-growing popularity of Google Chrome.
'Chrome to Mobile Beta' Extension on the Chrome Desktop Version
- Browse privately in Incognito mode
Incognito mode lets you browse the web on your phone or tablet without leaving traces of your history, cache, or local storage. You can also easily manage your Sync, Privacy, and Content settings, so you’re always in control.
One of the biggest pains of
touch screen browsing is selecting links closely fit in with other links. Chrome provides a wonderful solution to the problem – Link Preview. Link Preview does away with hunting and pecking for links on a web page by automatically zooming in on links to make selecting the precise one easier.
Link Preview
- Share directly via Facebook, Skype, Gmail, Dropbox, Catch and Bluetooth
Users can directly share the webpages and content by clicking on the ‘dotted’ icon next to the omnicox and selecting ’Share’ and then selecting the medium.
Continuing with the long list of features that Chrome for Android supports, you also get all the conventional features that are commonly found in most modern-day mobile web browsers. These include bookmarking favorite webpages from within the browser (with offline access support), auto-filling of forms, in-page search support, option to set a preferred search service (from Google, Bing and Yahoo!), JavaScript support, built-in pop-up blocker, extended
privacy settings, close all open tabs with a single tab, and lots more.
A major setback of the browser is the lack of FLASH. Despite the excellent interface and rich experience, this would not allow you to watch flash videos over Youtube and this just would be a good reason for many usera to not switch to chrome as their default browser. The Android default browser does offer FLASH support. Adobe Systems has reiterated the decision of Flash not being supported for Chrome for Android, stating that the lack of Flash Support is consistent with its position to stop developing Flash Player for mobile devices.
Given the fact that Google plans to eventually replace the Android default browser with Chrome, this effectively hints at the end of mobile flash player unless Google takes a step to get Flash on Chrome. However, Adobe has said that these changes won’t spill over into its continued support for Flash on PC or mobile apps.
Most of the features offered in the Chrome have been seen previously in third party browsers, but Google has got everything spot on its very first attempt while other are still trying to rectify their issues. And to all the envious iOS users out there, there is no confirmed news of Chrome coming to iOS in the near future, but there are certain rumours that Google might bring Chrome to iOS later in December this year. We shall keep you posted.
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Users can directly share the webpages and content by clicking on the ‘dotted’ icon next to the omnicox and selecting ’Share’ and then selecting the medium.
