Google Releases New Browser called Chrome

Google has entered the browser market with it's new offering, Chrome. It seems an obvious choice for Google and one might conclude that this is another part of Google's attack on Microsoft's dominance.

You may have noted that there has been quite a bit of online chatter regarding the Chrome Terms of Service. In particular there were concerns about Google's assertions over their rights to user content. Of greater interest to me, however, are the concerns regarding what information Google collects from people using Chrome. It seems to be that the issue is that Google stores all the information you enter into the Omnibox (Chrome has a single text box for addresses and search). To their credit Google has attempted to address these concerns. For me personally, I feel that as a user of several Google services including iGoogle, Reader, Blogger and more, Google already knows all about me. Knowing what I type into a search box is the least of my problems. You will have to make those descisions for yourself.

But what about the browser itself? I've tried it but for me it's not a replacement for Firefox yet. The long list of Firefox add-ons that extend the functionality of that browser make it a clear choice for me for now. I will be keeping an eye on it though.

I like the idea of the Omnibox. One place for users to enter both URLs and search terms. And it stands to reason that as they work on it Google services will become more integrated into the browser itself, which could be attractive given I use so many of their services. If it takes off and lots of add-ons become available I might be inclined to make the switch but it's a wait and see for me for now.

What about you? Have you used Chrome? What did you think?