Google updates Chrome with 1,500 new features

Google claims Chrome is now 400 per cent faster than when first released

Google has released an update to its Chrome browser, promising improved security and more than 1,500 new features.

The browser is now much more stable, according to the search giant, and is a whopping 400 per cent quicker than when first released.

"We are excited to usher in the new year with a bundle of browser goodness for the stable version of Google Chrome," said Nick Baum, product manager for Chrome, in a blog post.

"With today's new stable release, all Google Chrome users on PCs can access over 1,500 new features through our new extension system."

The extension tool lets users choose the applications they want to install, and helps manage how they are used. This may be particularly useful when it comes to navigating through the 1,500 new features.

Bookmark Sync, a tool that lets users migrate bookmarks to another machine, has come out of beta, while web developers will see a number of new HTML5 APIs, including LocalStorage, Database API, WebSockets and others.

The new features relate only to the Windows release so far, but users of other systems will get the updates soon, according to Baum.

"To those using Google Chrome on Linux, extensions are enabled on the beta channel. And for those using Google Chrome for Mac, hang tight. We're working on bringing extensions, bookmark sync and more to the beta soon."

Chrome programme manager Anthony LaForge said in a separate announcement that Google had fixed 13 security issues with the browser.