Google announces development of Chrome for Windows 8

Browser wars have heated up and every major developer, be it Mozilla, Google, Microsoft and Opera are hard at work to get the biggest pie in the market. There are a ton of features being added and the next big change that’s about to come is support for Windows 8. The Windows 8 operating system is expected to launch sometime, this year and browser manufacturers are racing to get their browsers ready for it. A few days back, we talked about Mozilla preparing the Firefox browser for Windows 8. Now, Google has announced that they are working on a Chrome build for Windows 8 as well. A Google spokesperson told Mashable that they were working on the Windows 8 build based on the desktop version of the Chrome browser.

For Windows 8 Metro UI soon

The Windows 8 version will run on the Metro interface. Google hopes to offer fast, simple and secure Chrome build for both desktop and Metro users. The Metro version of Chrome will be build for better support for touch interfaces. However, there are still some doubts about browsers being allowed to run in the Metro user interface. For example, Firefox developer Brian Brondy mentioned the same issue, while trying to develop the Firefox browser for Windows 8. Internet Explorer seems to be the only browser that will be allowed to work in the Metro user interface. However, Mashable says that that a whitepaper by Microsoft clearly mentions that other browsers on the Metro UI were welcome. While most Metro apps don’t support multitasking, browsers would be allowed to do so.

Users looking forward to the Windows 8 version of the Chrome browser can expect to see the same features found on the desktop version and the Android version - things like syncing of settings and bookmarks between different versions. Swipe functionality as well as extension support, like the desktop version will also be present. Users used to the desktop version will be able to use a similar browser that they’ve been used to on the older Windows versions.