Chrome 4.0 beta web browser launched

Google says the beta version of its browser is 400 percent faster than the first stable version and 30 percent faster than the current stable release. Google releases its browser in three versions: the developer preview, the beta, which is more stable but may still have a few 'bugs', and finally the stable version for general users.

The Chrome 4.0 beta release bookmark synchronization feature allows users to synchronize their bookmarked sites across multiple computers virtually instantaneously. The system uses Google Talk's XMPP servers and was tested earlier this year on developer builds of the browser.

To synchronize bookmarks using the new Chrome, click on the wrench icon at the top right of the browser window and select Synchronize my bookmarks from the menu, and then sign in with your Google account. The bookmarks are stored in the Google Docs account and made available to all computers signed in with your account. Any changes to the bookmarks made on any of the computers are instantly reflected in the others.

You can import bookmarks from other web browsers, and the new entries are automatically added to the Google Docs file.

Firefox and Internet Explorer both have similar add-on features. The Xmark extension for Firefox allows you to synchronize passwords and bookmarks across browsers as well as multiple computers, while Internet Explorer users can download the Windows Live Toolbar, which uses SkyDrive, Microsoft's online storage system.

The Chrome browser was initially released last year, but is still far less popular than Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, the two leaders in the browser market, but it edged up to 3.6 percent of the market in October 2009, just behind Safari at 4.2 percent. Google is also developing its own browser-based operating system, the Chrome OS.

Download the Beta version for Windows Vista or XP from Google's Beta channel. There is no word on when a Google Chrome beta version will be released for the Mac or Linux, but the Mac version is a top priority.

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