Google Chrome - Google’s New Browser
A fresh take on a browser hit the Internet over the weekend. The name is Google Chrome.
With the help of Scott McCloud they released a comic to advertise, and to inform, the public of its features before its initial release on Wednesday. You can view the comic here. This is probably one of the best news stories I’ve seen in comic strip form.
Why is this important to you, a Marketer?
First off, analytics will most likely be expanded upon. Google did not mention this in Scott’s cartoon, however we should assume (or innately know) that Google Chrome will have a form analytic’s data mining. This will of course be opt-in. Google Analytics is already in place on many sites across the web. Can you imagine the potential for Google to start data mining activity from a user’s perspective? We’ll see what comes of this, but the potential is high! And it will only help improve search, and the Internet, for users.
Any web site you visit in Chrome can now be social, full of communication capabilities and more. Everyone that loves Firefox and its addon capabilities has probably heard of StumbleUpon. If not, it’s a browser addon that helps “discovers web sites based on your interests, learns what you like and brings you more.” With Chrome this feature will be embedded into the browser and there for all users. It will bring social networking, communication and activities straight to you. Think of it like a globalized Facebook platform on every. single. website. Imagine GMail, Search, Analytics Activity (popularity - see where your friends are in real time, perhaps?), Google Talk, and even Google Reader all tied into one. Now that’s something to reckon with.
How will Google Chrome affect Mozilla Firefox?
Ah, yes. Fallout. Google has been long-known supporter of Mozilla Firefox. Google Toolbar has been known to support Firefox for ages. Google pays quite a bit to the Mozilla Foundation. In fact, it just extended that deal. In 2006 the total was about $57 million, or 85% of the company‚Äôs total revenue. That’s a lot of dough. The deal was originally going to expire in 2006, but was later renewed to 2008. It is now going to run until 2011. But will it stop in 2011? How will Google Chrome affect Mozilla Firefox’s user-base? Will it help or hurt Microsoft? Hopefully they will work closely together, but we do not know the actual target of Google Chrome. One thing is for sure: they each have a target of Microsoft user-base/market share. They hopefully will work together on this broad base and define it more closely as the future reigns in. A great site that answered a few questions for me was Technologizer.
What are a few of the technical details?
For the technical folks out there it is built on Webkit HTML Engine, but they added a new Javascript engine (in the mold of TraceMonkey and SquirrelFish) and of course a new Google-ish User Interface. Chrome has also incorporated Google’s Gears as standard, giving web applications in Chrome access to database, geolocation and desktop integration.
Expect to see the official site for Google Chrome on Wednesday, 09/03/2008 @
http://www.google.com/chrome (New Window)
(It will also be available for download on 09/03/2008 as well!)
Update: 09/04/2005 - Google’s Story Behind Google Chrome:
Update: 04/09/2008
Google Chrome is now being pushed hard. Google.com, a page coveted for copy and type space…even by Google itself is being used for a product advertising page. We all remember the story of adding a simple “Privacy” link the the index page of Google.com, don’t we? They really went all out for this product announcement that they held in secrecy for so long.
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