Google Chrome: is the Chrome Already Tarnished?

Do we really need another new web browser? Is there really a pressing need for Google Chrome? It would seem the half dozen or so browsers already out there take care of just about everybody's needs and interests without Google Chrome being thrown into the mix.

If one of the versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox don't float your boat you can always switch to Flock, Safari or Opera. And if you look hard you can find dozens of other lesser web browsers too.

So why did Google throw half-baked Chrome out into an already crowded market? Actually the answer is pretty simple. Google Chrome is looking to the future. If you do a little thinking outside the box, it is easy to see huge untapped potential in the web browser market.

To use an automotive analogy, if Henry Ford had stopped with the model T we would still be driving from town to town at 20 miles per hour. If you apply that analogy to the Internet, we are still definitely at the model T stage in web browser history.

So is Google Chrome a revolutionary product delivering on all the untapped potential of the Internet? The simple answer is no.

Google Chrome is fast, very fast. For most users it gets you to where you are going faster than just about anything out there except maybe the new Internet Explorer 8.

However, there are so many other flaws with Chrome that increased speed alone is not convincing people to switch from their current browsers. When it first came out about 1 percent of Internet users gave Chrome a try. But a high percentage of people switched back to their old browser less than a month after test-driving Google Chrome.

By far the biggest problems with Chrome have been the huge security leaks that have been uncovered by hackers and other malicious software coders.

Within days of its release hackers everywhere had found multiple ways to break into Chrome and do just about anything they wanted to. You would think a net giant like Google would have created a lock tight security feature with Chrome but they didn't.

Another major security problem was uncovered with the download features in Chrome. The way Chrome and Windows interact with downloads leaves a huge hole for malicious software to make its way onto your computer. Again, you would expect lock tight security from a new browser from Google but that didn't happen.

Privacy is another major issue with Google Chrome. Let's face it; Google is not giving you this free web browser because they are great humanitarians trying to make the world a better place. Information is money on the Internet. And Google wants to get as much information about you and your Internet travels as they legally can.

Of course this is not all a bad thing. Google Chrome is after your Internet information in an effort to help enhance your Internet experience. But 9 times out of 10, in the end, this simply goes too far. Someone ends up trying to sell you stuff that you really don't want. And usually even an act of Congress won't make them go away and leave you alone.

So make sure you read the fine print in the user agreement that comes with your version of Google Chrome. You may be surprised at how much of your information they plan on taking.

In fairness to Google, Chrome is still considered to be in Beta. What that means for the consumer is they are still working on it and it is bound to be changed and fixed for the better. But how far they go and in which direction remains to be seen.

If they simply polish the chrome that is plated over the weak plastic parts in the security and privacy areas of Chrome then you will probably end up sticking with your current browser.

But if Google uses their already dominant Internet power to truly enhance your web experience then the sky is the limit for Google Chrome.