Only one year after the initial release, Google has launched version 3.0 of its Google Chrome browser.

Google Chrome made its initial appearance on Sept. 8, 2008, and a mere 53-weeks later it has already hit version 3.0.  While the new version of the browser doesn’t bring any radical new additions to its stable of features, there does appear to be a significant number of changes under the hood that make it a worthwhile upgrade.

Ever since the first version of Chrome showed up, Google has been obsessed with the speed with which the speed of the browser’s JavaScript engine.  This isn’t to say that is a bad thing, because the slower a JavaScript engine is, the slower some Web pages load, and some can even crash due to the latency.  Since the initial Beta release of Chrome, the JavaScript engine is now running a full 150 percent faster, and even since version 2 of the stable release the engine has seen a 25 percent increase in speed.

Something that Google has been pushing hard with its browser is the concept of the “Ombibox”.  As opposed to the traditional URL bar where you enter an address, and the search box being separate, the Ombibox merges the two items into one.  The redesign of the Omnibox for version 3.0 of Chrome now allows you to distinguish between suggested sites, searches, bookmarks and sites from your browsing history in the drop-down box that appears as you type in your queries.

While not a huge addition, Chrome 3.0 has also added themes so that you can change the appearance of your browser to one you find more appealing.  Simply go to Options, click on “Personal Stuff” and then on “Get Themes” to see your choices.  Unlike other browsers that will make you restart to see the changes, Chrome will do this live so you can easily swap between themes on a whim.

There are still two things missing from the new release that are a disappointment: Mac support and extensions.  While Mac support is bound to happen, extensions are expected to appear in version 4.0 of the browser, but no release date has been announced as of yet.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 3:33 pm under Google.

Read more entries by Sean P. Aune.
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