Google has finally made its browser Chrome available on Android mobile devices - but only for those running Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0).
A mobile version of Chrome has been long-awaited by Android users, and marks the next step in Google's goal to create a more unified ecosystem across its mobile and desktop services.
Released yesterday in beta, the new mobile Chrome browser features an updated user interface, new tab management, as well as bookmark and tab synchronisation with the desktop. Link Preview also helps users in selecting the correct links from Web pages.
Google's senior VP of Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai, says: “One of the biggest pains of mobile browsing is selecting the correct link out of several on a small-screen device. 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.”
Pichai adds that Chrome for Android is designed “from the ground up” for mobile devices. “We reimagined tabs so they fit just as naturally on a small-screen phone as they do on a larger screen tablet.
“You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you're holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands.”
Chrome for Android Beta is being rolled out slowly and is only available for download from Android Market in select countries. The new browser will, however, reportedly be available for download in SA soon.
There are currently an estimated 200 million active Android devices worldwide, of which just two million are running Ice Cream Sandwich. Chrome was initially launched by Google in 2008 and has since become the second most widely used desktop browser in the world (after overtaking Firefox at the end of last year).