Are You Ready For Chrome?

You've been reading about the Chrome Browser, down-load it now! It's free, east to install and probably the most flexable tool Google has in it's package.

From the moment Google's Chrome Browser was first offered, the rest of the tech world has been playing catch-up, and follow the leader. The first reviews of Chrome were appropriately skeptical and critical, and the best minds in the business got busy testing the new Browser looking for strengths, weaknesses and making suggestions. They found a lot of strengths, a few weaknesses and made a lot of suggestions that Google picked up on quick. 

When you've down-loaded the ultra-lite package, check out all the tips and tricks I've been 'tagging' as I follow the developers in my Google Reader. Extensions and Add-ons are expected very soon, so be ready, and take full advantage of the latest great developments. Down-load it today!

Check back here in the next few days for up to the minute reports and reviews by the folks who love to push a new tool to it's limits.

Chrome's Keyboard Shortcuts

• (Chrome only) Ctrl+B toggles the bookmarks bar on and off.
• (Chrome only) Shift+Escape opens Google Chrome's Task Manager.
• Ctrl+L to move your cursor to the address bar.
• Ctrl+K moves your cursor to the address bar to enter a Google search.
• Ctrl+T opens a new tab.
• Ctrl+N opens a new window.
• Ctrl+Shift+T opens the last closed tab.
• (Chrome only) Ctrl+Shift+N opens a new window in "Incognito Mode."
• Ctrl+Tab cycles through open tabs; Ctrl+Shift+Tab reverse cycles through open tabs.
• Ctrl+J opens the Downloads tab.
• Ctrl+W closes the current tab.
• Ctrl+R refreshes the current page.
• Ctrl+H opens the History tab.
• Alt+Home loads your homepage.
• Ctrl+1 through 9 switches to a particular open tab position.
• Ctrl++, Ctrl+-, Ctrl+0 Enlarges, reduces, and restores default text sizes, respectively.

Third Chrome beta released

Google has released a new update for the Chrome Browser ( 0.3.154.3 ). Read a great article about the update at Webware.

Chromium Developer Documentation has the details at Release Notes 0.3.154.3

If you don't use Google Chrome, and want to check it out, follow this link to a free download. It's quick, easy and you won't be sorry.

Bookmark Tree in Google Chrome

When you import Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, they will appear in alphabetical order. No problem. You can use the flexable bookmark editor to organize your bookmarks however you like. Unlike IE, Chrome allows you to drag-and-drop your bookmarks to folders that you create in the editor. You can see this pop-up editor in the previous post; Editing Bookmarks in Google Chrome.

If you right-click on any link in the bookmark tree, a pop-up window will offer more options for editing that link.

Bookmarks - Editing in Google Chrome

Manual Bookmarking

    When you find an interesting page that you would like to 'Bookmark', just click on the star on the left end of the 'Omni-bar'. ( click on images below for larger view )

 A small pop-up window will give the option to name the bookmark, and also where to place it.

    Type the name of the page in the upper window ( abbreviations are ok ), and choose a location in the lower window. You can put your Bookmark on the Bookmark Bar, in an existing folder or create a new folder ( note; you can create a folder within a folder ). 

    Click on the 'edit' tab. Another small pop-up window will display the 'Bookmark Tree'.

    The tree's root is the Bookmark Bar, and the branches are various folders and sub-folders you've created. This pop-up Window is very much like the Windows Explorer side-bar menu that most people are familiar with. Feel free to drag-and-drop the Bookmarks to any folder on the tree, or place it between any existing Bookmarks on the tree.

    You can also create new folders in this window by clicking on 'New Folder'. When your satisfied as to the name and location of the Bookmark you'd like to save, click on 'OK'.

Importing Bookmarks Automatically

    Click on the little wrench at the top right of your Chrome Browser. Click on the 'Import Bookmarks and Settings' tab in the drop-down menu. Follow the simple instructions.

    When I imported my Bookmarks, I noticed that my Yahoo, Microsoft, and several other Folders filled  with Favorites came organized in there original tree configuration, but rather scattered on the alphabetical list. I was disappointed to find that none of my rss feeds were imported.

     Notice; In the image below  my Bookmark bar has several folders ( colored yellow ) and several book marklets ( colored white ) that I've mounted from my Google Reader, Wordpress, etc. All of my Bookmarks are in the Folder that I named 'Bookmarks', and organized in a tree built manually from the alphabetical list that Chrome imported from my Ineternet Explorer.