back to article Google adds Chrome finish to Android

Google has announced a beta version of its increasingly popular Chrome browser for Android users, but only if you’re on the most current build, version 4.0, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich. The Chocolate Factory’s latest creation has been designed to allow easy synchronization with the desktop version of the browser. Bookmarks can …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Privacy?

    "Bookmarks can be ported across to smartphones, tabs left open on the desktop can also be synched to the smartphone or tablet,"

    What you mean is that your device is in constant touch with Google copying your bookmarks etc. For once the EU may be making some sensible moves in being concerned about the privacy aspects of this game.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But they're open about it

      “We know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less know what you’re thinking about.” - Eric Schmidt to the Atlantic

      “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place” - Eric Schmidt at a CNBC interview

      You want privacy? Stay well away from Google.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Google sync

      It's been around for ages allowing you to copy settings from one device to another.

      It's easily turn on an offable.

    3. Greg 16
      FAIL

      Convenience?

      Personally I don't give a shit what google know about me, and I tick a box to confirm that. If you don't like it, then don't tick it.

    4. This post has been deleted by its author

  2. dotdavid

    ICS

    I wonder why it's limited to ICS. If Opera and Firefox can make a proper web browser on Android 2.x, why can't Google?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They're probably using some of the ICS exclusive APIs. It's a lot quicker loading than Opera, or even Dolphin HD.

  3. eSeM

    Looks Good

    .... will have a proper play with it tomorrow :)

  4. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    The default browser in Android 3 certainly looks and feels very much like chrome. As for the rest: well, Opera was there first.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No more Flash

    Chrome for Android "shuts out plug-ins including Adobe Systems' Flash Player and Google's own Native Client."

  6. JDX Gold badge

    re: Privacy

    Shared settings is not new and not even a Google thing. 3rd-party extensions/services have been doing it for years.

    Turning it on doesn't let Google know more about you than they already do.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "Turning it on doesn't let Google know more about you than they already do."

      Similarly, leaving your front door unlocked whilst you are out does not decrease your risk of being burgled.

  7. Justin 9
    Thumb Up

    So far So Good

    Installed ok on ics. works a treat.

  8. This post has been deleted by its author

  9. Fuh Quit
    WTF?

    why limit territories

    I had to friggin' sideload. FFS Google, just flip the switch all the way on....

  10. Greg J Preece

    I was wondering when Google were going to get around to this, given that Firefox/Opera have had it since pretty much the start. The one advantage of my Firefox sync account though - no-one's reading my data at the other end, unless that encryption key is a big fib.

  11. Sean Gray
    Meh

    No UA switcher?

    A brief test on a few websites indicates that it's the best browser I've tried on Android for handling anything more fancy than basic words and pictures but unless they give us the option to tell websites to stop feeding us the 'mobile' (read as: inferior) version of their site, it's going to severely limit my use.

    1. countd
      Meh

      Agreed - I've gone back to "Browser" on my ICS tablet as it has "Request Desktop Site" and will likely stay there until Chrome catches up.

  12. Hooksie
    FAIL

    Privacy is important - but bookmarks aren't

    Just don't sign in to your Google account and it won't sync therefore won't contact Google's servers. However, since they already have the IP address and therefore location of every search you ever do whether incognito or not I suppose it doesn't really matter.

    If it only does mobile sites though, that would pi$$ me off. I mean, when it's for tablets with a big screen then what's the point of delivering a website designed for a small screen???

  13. Andrew Baines Silver badge
    Big Brother

    Google & Privacy

    If you're worried about privacy, why are you using any Google services? 'Do no evil' has been long forgotten.

    I'll stick to Firefox with Ghostery & DuckDuckGo, and a Blackberry Bold. Just need to work out how to add extra search engines to a PlayBook - hopefully in OS2.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The way some of you lot go on I don't know why you even know why you bother owning a mobile phone

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like