Chrome 15 released -- get it now!

Google has updated its web browser, Google Chrome, to version 15. As expected, changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and some features that were present in the beta version have yet to be migrated across to this stable release.

The only notable change is an extremely visible one: a redesigned new tab/window page. This splits apps, bookmarks and most visited sites into separate sections, accessible via a series of buttons at the bottom of the page. There’s also a Recently Closed page, making it easier for users to open the window of their choice.

Previously, the Chrome New Tab page displayed apps, most visited sites and recently closed windows on a single page. Now the user must now navigate between them using a series of links at the bottom of the screen. A new "bookmarks" entry allows users to access their favourite sites from this screen, while apps can be rearranged into customisable sections such as work and productivity through drag and drop.

The release also coincides with a redesigned Chrome Web Store, designed to make the acquisition of apps simpler and easier -- Chrome has also made the Apps view the default.

A number of features that were present in earlier beta builds of Chrome 15 are currently missing from this stable release. These include the addition of a new option in Google Chrome: Omnibox History. This is a history of everything entered into the Address/Search bar.

At the present time, Chrome Beta and Dev channels haven’t been updated, but expect Chrome Beta, when it moves to version 16, to include some of the features already previewed in the Dev release. These include support for multi-user profiles on Windows and Mac machines.

First announced last year, these profiles aren’t linked to your computer’s built-in user accounts, but accessed, and switched, within Chrome itself. New profiles can be simple off-line affairs tied to that computer or synced with a Google account.

In the meantime, Google Chrome 15 Final is available for free download now for Windows, Mac and Linux.