However, there is one obvious omission from Chrome for Android and that is a lack of support for Adobe’s infamous Flash mobile player. Just like the millions of iOS users, those of you planning to switch to Chrome permanently on Android will now have to live without support for Flash, as Adobe opts to move on to other projects such as HTML5.

The exact same problem initially occured with Ice Cream Sandwich, as there was no flash support at launch either for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. However, Adobe later decided to release a version of Flash player that supports Ice Cream Sandwich, so users were pleased in the end. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any plans for Adobe to have the same change of heart regarding the new Chrome browser.

But does it really matter? We’ve seen an awful big fuss created over the lack of Flash for Chrome, but there is always the option of just using the standard browser if one requires to view a certain piece of flash content that bad. We also see a lot of blame headed in the direction of Google and Adobe, but should Apple perhaps take a slice blame for this?

There’s a lot of talk on how the main reason for Adobe stopping their mobile Flash Player is primarily due to Steve Jobs’ decision to not support Flash on any iOS devices. Ice Cream Sandwich users perhaps got lucky with a post-release version of Flash, but it’s safe to say that the mobile flash player may be on its last legs now and this situation for the Chrome player on Android is a prime example of this.

If you have already installed Chrome on your Android device, let us know your thoughts on the lack of flash. Is it really the end of the world for you, or can you live without it until an unofficial solution is found later on? Don’t forget that all the tools are available for Flash as it stands, so all it takes is a developer to spend the time building a custom version.

Google claim that this browser is built with both speed and simplicity in mind, also as you can sign-in there will be a seamless link between your smartphone / tablet and your computer – this ensures that bookmarks are synced and the autocomplete feature ties in to computer and suggests sites that you visit frequently. One very neat feature will allow you to view the tabs you left open on your computer, so if you leave the house in a rush you can continue from where you left off.

Currently Chrome for Android is only available for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices, you should be able to find it at the Android Market (here’s the link), but remember it is a beta release, therefore don’t be surprised if there’s stability issues or other bugs.

As previously mentioned Google claims that this mobile browser should offer fast and simple browsing on your Android device, apparently it has been designed from the ground up with mobile devices in mind. Tabs seem to be the main focus and we are told that intuitive gestures are supported to easily switch between tabs – this has been likened to flicking through a pack of cards and sounds great to us.

The ability to sign in to your computer’s Chrome profile will ensure that you won’t always have to enter full URLs etc, so that will help with browsing speed as touchscreen QWERTY keyboards can be a pain at times when entering complicated web site addresses. The feature which Google seem to promote the most is ‘Link Preview’, this is pretty self-explanatory as it allows you to see a preview of a link before you go to it, which should ensure that you don’t waste too much time visiting the wrong links. Finally if you want to carry out some private browsing we can confirm that this app boasts incognito mode, simply go into setting and then privacy.

Below we have embedded a video which introduces you to Chrome for Android, have you installed it on your ICS device yet? If so, please let us know how well it runs and whether you’ve experienced any problems in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Microsoft’s default web browser has been losing market share for a while now, but this had halted for one month recently. Now a report here is stating the slide has now continued during December, and if the trend continues it could have less than a fifty percent share by March.

Last month Internet Explorer lost eight-tenths of a percent to finish up with a share of 51.9 percent, and according to Net Applications is a drop of over seven percent during 2011. The service most benefiting from IE’s loses is Google’s Chrome browser, which finished on a record high of 19.1 percent.

It is thought Chrome should break through the twenty percent barrier in the next month or two as more users defect from IE. Microsoft has been seemly unworried about the slide of IE market share, and instead made a point of IE9’s performance on Windows 7. The company feels this is all that matters, and Roger Capriotti of IE said that IE9 will soon overtake IE8 on Windows 7.

Taking into account all operating systems IE9 had an 11.5 percent share during December, which was an increase of 1.2 percent. Microsoft’s most popular browser remained IE8 on 27.3 percent of all those used. Microsoft recently began upgrading older versions of their browser automatically, but it may still not be enough to stop users trying alternatives.

Chrome has seen its figures boosted by users leaving both IE and Mozilla’s Firefox during 2011, which meant a rise of 8.8 percent for the year. During 2011 Firefox lost 1.9 percent finishing on a record low of 21.8 percent for the year.

The way things are going Chrome will gain second place from Firefox by March, and Apple’s Safari browser remained at five percent for December. Opera enjoyed its best increase of the year during December and finished on 1.7 percent.

Have you recently started to use a new web browser?

For years Microsoft has been rolling out Windows updates to ensure that software is up-to-date and secure, however the process of download and installing new versions of Internet Explorer has sometimes seemed long-winded and clunky, especially when you can install an alternative browser within a couple of minutes.

Even those who despise Microsoft Internet Explorer will admit that IE9 closed the gap massively with Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome when it comes to browsing speed and layout, according to the Windows Team Blog Microsoft’s web browser will soon update itself automatically just like its major rivals. This means that people using IE will be able to rest assured that they are running the most up-to-date and secure version of the software.

Microsoft claim that the automatic updating procedure will be as fast and simple as possible, apparently now you wont see notifications telling you exactly what is happening, instead the upgrade will take place and no changes will be made to a user’s home page, default browser or search provider. This will in-turn benefit developers as more consumer’s will be using the most recent browser build, that said a user can choose to block automatic upgrades if they wish.

We think that this is a huge step in the right direction for Microsoft and it should further ensure that Windows users are safe from malicious software. Apparently Microsoft will take a measured approach and begin the automatic upgrades in Australia and Brazil in January, it will affect Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users. You can find out more about this news here.

Are you happy with this planned change?

Today we are going to talk about a new extensions called Google+ Notifications, you can find it here. Installation of this extension takes a few seconds, but once installed it will further enhance your G+ experience. To sum things up it shows you when you get a notification on your Google+ account no-matter what webpage you are viewing, prior to this you had to be on a site such as Google.com to see any indication of notifications.

This extensions sits between the address bar and the settings button on Chrome (just like many other Chrome extensions), when you get a notification you can simply click on the icon and see what the notification is about, here you can add people to circles and reply to comments etc. If you wish you can even click on the link in the notification to head over to Google+ to see it in full. Below we have embedded a screenshot which gives you a quick glimpse of the Google+ Notifications extension.

We have only used this extension for a little while, yet so far we have been very impressed and will definitely be keeping it installed. It allows us to keep in touch with the social network without being taken away from the webpage we are on, or opening a new tab, which is great. We have however noticed that notifications don’t come up as quickly as they would if you were on a Google site such as Gmail, Google Maps, Google.com etc – but we imagine that this is something Google will address soon.

Have you installed the Google+ Notifications extension for Chrome, if so are you impressed?

Last month the browser managed to capture 22 percent of UK internet users slightly ahead of Mozilla’s Firefox. According to an article on guardian.co.uk despite losing market share to Chrome, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer still has 45 percent of users. Microsoft’s browser does get a head start over its rivals as it comes pre-installed in the majority of PCs sold in the country.

Back in fourth place is Apple’s Safari with a 9 percent share of the market. Most of Google’s rise in popularity will be down to its speed, but it was also the first Google product to be advertised on British television. According to Lars Bak, the engineer responsible for Chrome, the idea of the browser was to awaken a dormant browser market instead of attracting a big user’s base.

He added “Speed is a fundamental part of it, but it’s also about the minimal design and the way it handles security”. The engineer doesn’t work from Google’s Mountain View headquarters in California, but from a converted farmhouse in the Danish countryside.

Worldwide the browser is sitting at number three with a 20.65 share of the market, but is expected to shortly get ahead of Firefox. Mozilla’s has seen its market share dropping steadily since January, while Internet Explorer has dropped heavily to 43 percent following warnings of security.

While some browsers seem to get updated quite frequently recently a lot of users just stick with what they know, and as a lot of computers sold do have Internet Explorer installed use that. It is only when they decide to try one of the other browsers available they may discover a much better web browsing experience.

What web browser do you use?

Google is able to call upon a number of its other products to help improve their new social network; one area where it can be improved is with Chrome Extensions. As this is a new service, there are key products that have yet to be developed, but we all know that this project is a working progress. Facebook is the same, but Google has the potential for much more growth, and their rivals know it.

There is already a huge choice of Chrome Extensions that will help to improve your social experience, such as enhanced notifications, quicker streaming or just helping to improve your sharing ability. They are all there; you just need to know what are the best.

Two of what Mashable believe to be the best are G+ Extended and Extended Share for Google Plus. The first extension is free and will add further shortcuts. The second makes it easier to share with Facebook and Twitter via Google+

For a greater selection of Google+ Chrome Extensions then you might want to visit Chrome OS Site. Surplus is the first that we have chosen from their list, as it offers an easy way accessing Google+ and notifications. Google+ Enhancer is another, not only will the sandbar show your notification, you will also see your Gmail, Google reader and Calendar as well.

However, we believe that we have saved the best for last. Google+ -> Contrast, Denser, More Features allows you to customize the UI. We all know how people like to change how their UI looks, so at least this extension makes it possible.

For those that are new to Google+ you will have a shock once you receive your invitation and log in for the first time, as you will notice something called Circles. This is considered a much better way to group the people you wish to share with, more on this can be found here.

You can also keep up to date with what is happening on Google+ by visiting my profile here, along with other subjects that are hot at the moment.

Yesterday we provided you news about the changes that the internet giants had made to their mobile homepage and today we also brought you news that they have added a voice search feature to their Chrome users search engines.

The new speeds take advantage of their Instant Pages search feature and are reported to speed things up by about two to five seconds, including the time it takes for loading a web page. According to the article at the BBC, Google’s search engine dominates the market at the moment, processing a billion requests every day.

With Microsoft’s Bing closing in on their share of the market, changes like the ones that have been made recently are essential for staying ahead of the game and for luring new users. Check out the full article at the BBC by clicking the link above.

Are you a Google search user? Which search engine do you prefer?

As far as we know, the service is now rolling out to Chrome users in the US and you should be able to use it right now, although it may take some time to appear for the whole of US.

Basically the feature is self explanatory and Google now allows you to search for content by using your voice only. And the accuracy of the search is very impressive as well, as you can see in the included test video over at Mashable below.

According to them, they have the accuracy of Google Voice search for Chrome at around 85%, but of course this will vary depending on the nature of your search. If you have Chrome and you see the voice icon on the right-hand side of your search bar, try it out now and let us know how you get on.

How accurate is Google Voice for you? Did it have any problems with some of your searches or not?

The simple answer is that different teams, who have different ways of approaching things, run Android and Chrome. During the recent Google I/O the same question was asked, and according to TechCrunch the answer was simple, “It’s not something we’re talking about right now.”

Having said that, they do share a lot of information with each other, and they will increase that as time goes on. Maybe Google feels that this is the best way to corner both markets, and why wouldn’t they. Both Apple and Microsoft have different operating systems for their smartphones and computers, so why should Google be any different?

Google could do away with either Android or Chrome as a browser and have just one, something that Apple and Microsoft does with Safari and Internet Explorer. Do you think that Google should just have one browser and one OS?