Google Chrome: The “GBrowser” Comes To Life And Takes Aim To Microsoft

Google's new browser is going to change the web. "Today, most of what we use the web for on a day-to-day basis aren't just web pages, they're APPLICATIONS!"

Google Inc. is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine.

So the tech blogosphere is all abuzz about Google’s new Web browser that goes by the name of "CHROME". The thing that I find absolutely hilarious about the whole thing is the fact that Google used a comic book to promote it. How can you take seriously a product when it comes by the way of a comic book announcement.

Anyways, such is the case with Chrome, as this morning saw Philip Lenssen from Google Blogoscoped where he let us know how he discovered the latest major initiative from the search giant:

“Today there was a comic book in my mail, sent by Google and drawn by no less than Scott McCloud, creator of the classic Understanding Comics. Within the 38 pages, which I’ve scanned and put up, in very readable format Google gives the technical details into a project of theirs: an open source browser called Google Chrome.”

Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.

Of course, this sounds like the long-rumored “GBrowser” project which Google has denied for ages. According to the comic, this will be an open source project based on the existing Webkit engine, just like Apple’s Safari browser. Much like Philip thinks the browser is a good idea, Mathew Ingram noted:

“Although there will likely be some concerns raised about Google — the prism through which many people see the Internet — developing its own browser (will it build features that render its pages and search results better than others?), I think competition is overall a good thing. I can hardly wait to see some of the other features that Mozilla, Google and Microsoft will come out with as the browser becomes a kind of OS for the webtop or “cloud” desktop.”

While there is no firm release date for Chrome, it definitely shows that Google is continuing its march forward to dominate in all things relating to your desktop and the Web. Whether this is a good thing remains to be seen.

You can see the comic book here: Google Books