News 

Google said the browser is being developed to cater to the changing nature of surfing habits, considering how the web has evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications. The new browser is a simple and streamlined program, which according to Google, is not just a web browser but also "a modern platform for web pages and applications".

The company leaked details by mistakenly posting a comic strip explaining how Google Chrome is being developed on its blogosphere.

Google's VP product management Sundar Pichai and engineering director Linus Upson jointly authored a blog outlining the details of the web browser.

They said Google

ADVERTISEMENT

Chrome promises to load pages faster and more securely, but it also includes a new engine for loading interactive JavaScript code, dubbed V8, that is designed to run the next generation of not-yet-invented Web applications.

The pair admitted its engineers have borrowed from a variety of other open-source projects, including Apple's WebKit and the Mozilla Firefox open-source browser. As a result, Google also plans to make all of Chrome software code open to other developers to enhance and expand.

"All of us at Google spend much of our time working inside a browser. We search, chat, email and collaborate in a browser. And in our spare time, we shop, bank, read news and keep in touch with friends -- all using a browser," said the Google executives in the blog.

"Because we spend so much time online, we began seriously thinking about what kind of browser could exist if we started from scratch and built on the best elements out there."

The launch of the beta version of Chrome follows the launch of rival Microsoft's second beta version of Internet Explorer 8 last week. Microsoft's browser holds roughly three-quarters of the browser market, but the success of Mozilla's recent Firefox 3 web browser had added a more evident element of competition to the web browser market than previously.