What’s the one Google service absent in Android? Google Chrome of course: the browser on Android has long been missing all its desktop brother’s browsing skills, but no more. Based on code from Chromium, it looks as though Google Chrome is all set to go mobile about…now.
Google Chrome is now one of the most popular internet browsers out there, largely based on its reputation for speed. It’s currently available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, but according to the logs of Chromium, it’s being tested for Android right now.
Chromium is the open source project on which Google Chrome is based: generally, new features appear here and make their way into later public releases of Chrome. Currently, Android uses a WebKit browser using some of Chrome’s underlying code. But it is often modified by manufacturers and varies from handset to handset.
It also lacks the front-facing features of Google Chrome, including tabs visible at the top of the screen that are handled separately, and plug-ins, which rival Android browser Dolphin HD currently offers. If Google is now planning on replacing the browser with a Chrome branded model, we’d expect many of these to make their way across.
As for when? October 11 is looking like a mighty good bet: it’s when Samsung and Google are announcing something big at CTIA in the US, assumed to the be Samsung Nexus Prime phone running the new version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. We’re wagering Google Chrome for Android will appear here too.
(via Android And Me)
