News Chrome for Android Release "in weeks"

[Mike Nomad]

Chrome for Android to come out of beta "in weeks"

Chrome for Android overlays multiple tabs if you tap the tab button in the upper right.
(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

by Stephen Shankland - April 24, 2012 1:21 PM PDT

Google expects to release the first stable version of Chrome for Android as soon as enough bugs are fixed, the executive in charge of the project says.

Google expects to bring its Chrome browser for Android out of beta testing "in a matter of weeks."

So said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and Apps, in an interview yesterday, shortly after Google released a Chrome for Android update that lets people view the desktop version of a Web page and add bookmarks to the browser's home screen.

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"We launched beta 2. We addressed a few things," Pichai said. "Mainly right now, I'm driven by bug quality and stability. We are triaging, tracking, and trying to make it very stable. It is in a matter of weeks."

Google released the first Chrome for Android beta in February.

The browser has been well received, but it only runs on devices that use Android 4.0, aka Ice Cream Sandwich. Even though Google released the Android 4.0 source code in November, ICS phones still remain a relative rarity in the marketplace.

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