New Google toolbar gives Firefox a Chrome look

Google released a second beta of its toolbar software for Firefox that gives the browser a prominent feature of Google's own Chrome.

In Chrome, when you open a new tab, the browser displays a page with up to nine miniature versions of pages you visit often--a selection of what you've shown to be your collective home page. The new beta version of Toolbar 5 does the same for Firefox, including not just the miniature pages, but also the list of recent bookmarks and recently closed tabs that Chrome shows.

There are still no ads, though, which I wonder about given Google's new interest in improving its profitability.

Firefox can inherit Chrome's new-tab behavior using a new beta of the Google Toolbar.

(Credit: Google)

According to Google toolbar programmer Sergey Ryazanov's blog post on the subject, you can select the specific pages you want, and none of the information is sent back to Google.

I've found the new-tab behavior of Chrome handy, especially when I first launch the browser. It presents me with nine pages, and I middle-click on the ones I happen to want at that particular moment. It's still probably not enough for me to install the toolbar, though, since I hate bloat and the lost real estate of browsers. And Firefox can be set with multiple-tab home pages anyway.

Ryazanov warns that the feature doesn't work with Firefox 2 and may conflict with other Firefox extensions. It's curious he didn't mention Chrome in the post, though, especially given how proud Google is of its Chrome user interface research.

[pkscout]

I would much rather Google release Chrome for OSX instead of just a way for Firefox to look like Chrome. Oh, and I sure hope Google is getting Gears updated to work with Firefox 3.1b2.

[ddanckaert]

Using gears just fine with OSX 10.5.6 and Firefox 3.0.5. The price you pay for living on the "bleeding edge" of technology is that you, well, bleed.

[cabrillo24]

Weekly updates to Google Chrome is what makes me keep an eye on this. I'm pretty much in love with FF because of it's functionality and extensions but I love Chrome's speed. Extensions in the future will make Chrome a big hit, but more importantly I hope it somehow integrates with the entire Google productivity line (picasa/docs/gdrive etc).

[barbose]

It was idiotic of Google to depend on a windows http library in the first place for Chrome. What were they thinking?

[ArtInvent]

So what's wrong with this app window? It's got no less than SIX bars on the top taking up screen real estate, counting the app title bar and the tab bar. SEVEN if you count the bottom 'Status' bar. So you can do like I do and get rid of the 'Bookmarks' toolbar that's completely redundant as well as the 'Status' bar. But that's still FIVE. I would like to use something like the google toolbar, but I already have four that mostly just sit there and do nothing. Plus Firefox already has a search box that can be set to Google.

Put this browser on a little netbook screen and it pretty much leaves only about HALF of your app window to actually display the web page. Good grief!

There are tons of things that UI designers could do to cut this down to two or three control and info bars max. Put the URL on the topmost app bar instead of the title of the app (we all pretty much recognize the Firefox logo by now don't we?) Have the 'File | Edit . . . ' bar be self-hiding. Can't the 'Status' bar info and the search box get worked into the 'File | Edit . . .' bar, which is mostly blank on the right side? I mean, come on. How about an intelligent way to put some (or all) of the bars along the side? Come on, people.

[codynews]

Totally. Which is why I use Chrome. :)

[fady93]

Chrome looks nice and all but it has its problems, such as its unstable, and when one tab crashes the entire thing crashes; they said if one tab crashes only that tab with crash. and chrome doesn't display web pages properly. Which is why I went back to firefox, it simply the best. I just hope they make it as fast as chrome and they redesign the way it is presented just like ArtInvent said.
I find no purpose in downloading the this toolbar, firefox already has an google search box.

[drbyte]

Great, now everyone can see what I'm into if I forget to purge :-(

[Train-Man]

Hmmm...well....I just recently changed over to Firefox from Netscape's browser, and I still occasionally use my first love, Netscape. I am very protective of my visual real estate, and I too loath adding any tool bars unless they sport an "auto-hide" feature....one should be able to place such tool bars to either side or to the top or bottom of the screen. Each one of Netscape's tool bars could always be individually collapsed into a single, much smaller 1/4 inch bar....one could also decide which bar or bars were collapsed or left full height....if all bars were collapsed, one would only lose 1/4 inch of space at the top of the screen....and I would never use a browser that would not let me escape from the 'frames trap" like Netscape does, by re-opening the frame into another window, page, or tab.

But...I have to admit....that I LOVE the nine, tiny individual web pages displayed by the Google tool bar....now, if only my bookmarks were displayed in such a manner as this, along with web page titles and web addresses, of course....and I would like to see Google's toolbar add more tiny, individual pages to peruse through, maybe twenty or so, but not physically smaller than they are now...maybe one could scroll down the pages...I WILL give the Google toolbar a spin soon.....I may even try Chrome for awhile.

[compbry15]

Dude give it up. Netscape was discontinued almost a year ago, and should have been dropped long before that.

[NeedlerFanPudge]

For anyone that is interested in this, you don't actually have to have the toolbar active in order to gain the chrome new tab page. Just unclick it and you still get the chrome functionality.

[Topspin14]

Fast Dial does the same thing for Firefox and doesn't add an ugly toolbar. Plus it is fully customizable. Don't use this junk.

[Topspin14]

Sorry it doesn't have recently closed tabs...but your history does.

[queticomn]

why would i want the BEST browser in the world FireFox, to look like the worst. Meh... Second best browser Opera.

chrome totally copied speed dial from Opera too.

[queticomn]

Another example of C-net/CBS pushing chrome ehh? Yep...

[soulexpressn]

I don't know which is funnier. Someone grasping at their own Netscape browser, or CNET trying to help Chrome. It will take a lot more than some graphics to pull me away from Firefox.