Google Chrome, the second most popular Internet browser, is now available on Android. Currently, it’s in beta and only for 4.0 ICS devices. Chrome has been out since 2008, but it never did come to mobile devices.

This has quite a few speculating as to why and why the tech giant never made it happen. Well, it seems that they finally have and so far, the reviews are pretty solid overall. This is sure to get Opera and Firefox riled up as they have their own mobile browsers.

Personally, I’ve used Opera mobile for quite some time and love it, but being that Chrome for Android can sync all my data such as bookmarks, browsing history, etc., it’s a no brainer to switch.

Via CNet:

“The new browser, unlike the stock Android browser, is available in the Android Market so that people don’t have to wait for handset makers to offer it through an operating system upgrade. But its reliance on newer hardware acceleration interfaces means it only works on Ice Cream Sandwich, which despite emerging last year on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone remains a rarity in the real world.”

“Chrome for Android includes the desktop version’s V8 JavaScript engine, has gesture-based controls for moving among multiple tabs, synchronizes with the desktop version of Chrome, and shuts out plug-ins including Adobe Systems’ Flash Player and Google’s own Native Client. With its performance and features, Google expects Android users to increase their browser activity.”

With great reviews and it not even out of beta yet, we’re sure to see it improve.

Do you use Google Chrome? If not, what’s your Internet browser of choice?

Google Chrome Now Available On Android is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Nokia N900 ushered in the Maemo operating system and now Mozilla, makers of the super popular Firefox internet browser have announced that the Maemo OS is first to receive the mobile version of their browser.

Firefox 1.0, known as Weave Sync, is currently available for download and allows users to sync their desktop computer with their mobile browser, pulling in bookmarks, tabs, history and passwords.

According to Engadget:

Flash support is still somewhat shaky, and does not come enabled by default, though you’re free to flip the switch and ride the lightning as it were.

Thankfully Mozilla actually responds to crash reports and their browsers always improve with each new release. Browsing on the N900 was already great, Mozilla has just managed to make it even better.

Firefox Mobile Comes To Maemo, Other Mobile OS’s Later is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mozilla chief executive John Lilly now indicates things are progressing quickly. In a new interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Lilly says:

“We want to make sure that the Web on mobile is more like the Web than what the mobile industry offers today, which is closed, separate networks and not a very good information-getting experience for the user. The first thing is to bring Firefox to mobile devices. We’re working on that, and we’ll see some alphas in a few weeks.”

Fennec’s early versions have been tested with Nokia models, but Mozilla intends to have the browser support multiple platforms by the time it’s ready to roll.

Update: Mozilla Mobile To Hit Alpha Within Weeks is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Fennec is being tested pretty hard now, and by people who love to find bugs,” Mozilla’s Mark Finkle says.

The updated M8 version boasts an updated look that’s still being tweaked:

Other improvements include a new support panel with an add-on manager and download manager; sidebars that slide in and out of view; support for kinetic scrolling; and overall performance enhancements. Features set to debut in future builds include expanded tab capabilities and potential camera input support.

As of now, Fennec is being developed specifically for the Noxia N8x0. Engineers say they’ll start working on other platforms soon.

Mozilla Mobile Reaches New Milestone is a post from: The Inquisitr

One might surmise that product will be Mozilla’s long-under-development mobile browser, codenamed “Fennec.” Pre-alpha builds of the program have been floating around since about April, but Mozilla has yet to commit to any firm release date for the software. Developers have previously indicated they want to focus on better integrating the PC and mobile environments, possibly using synchronization tools such as Weave to link browsing between the two.

Now the question becomes who’ll get there first — Mozilla Mobile or “Chrome Lite“? Gentlemen, start your engines.

Mozilla’s (Almost) Ready to Go Mobile is a post from: The Inquisitr