Chrome 32 beta highlights noisy tabs

It’s a regular web annoyance: you’re busy online, a line of browser tabs open, when suddenly one of them starts playing a Flash video ad. Which one? Normally you’d have to check each tab in turn, but that’s all about to change with Google Chrome 32 beta.

The next time your concentration is disturbed by some unexpected sound, just glance at the tabs, and a speaker icon will appear next to any which are playing audio. Further icons highlight tabs currently using your webcam, or Chromecast, and we expect others will appear in future.

"Metro" mode Chrome on Windows 8 also sees a significant change, as you’re now able to manage multiple Chrome windows -- and access your Chrome apps -- with an integrated Chromebook-ish app launcher.

Security has been tightened, with Chrome now automatically blocking malicious downloads.

And of course Google Chrome 32 beta has the usual scattering of security patches, performance and stability tweaks.

If security really matters to you, though, you might prefer Comodo’s Chromium-based Dragon 30. The latest edition uses the Chromium 30.0.1599.101 code base, includes an update to its privacy-boosting PrivDog extension, and now makes use of Chrome’s internal browser addresses (chrome://history; chrome://extensions; dragon://extensions; chrome://settings, and chrome://flags).