Google releases Chrome Beta for Android

There have been plenty of rumors, and users have been calling for it for a long time. Well, the time is finally here: Chrome Beta has been released for Android. The browser has some pretty nice features, but one big caveat. The caveat being the one that you never want to hear as an Android user: Chrome Beta is only available on Android 4.0+, which effectively rules out 99% of the ecosystem. 

Chrome Beta definitely fits in well with the new Ice Cream Sandwich UI. The browser looks great and features the subtle animations that have become standard in Android. Pages render quickly, and overall it feels a lot like the stock ICS browser, just with some added extras. It has the same omnibox and the ability to save pages for offline reading. The extra features come from interacting with your Chrome browser on your desktop. 

Along with syncing your bookmarks and history, Chrome now also syncs open tabs (and the full history of that tab) from desktop to mobile for easy access. You can also send pages from desktop to your phone much like you could with the Chrome to Phone extension, but now there is also the added option of automatically saving the sent page for offline viewing. Additionally, Chrome Beta offers Incognito Mode for private browsing as well as gestures to easily flip between tabs. 

It's about time Android had a proper Chrome browser and with luck it will come to older versions of Android sooner rather than later. If you have an ICS device and want to try it out, Chrome Beta is available for free in the Android Market.

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