Google turns Chrome to gold

Chrome currently has more than 10 million active users

Google has issued the first official non-beta release of the Chrome web browser.

The news officially takes Chrome out of its beta period, signifying that Google believes the browser is good enough to be issued as a final release.

The release will be the 15th update to Chrome since its first introduction in early September. Chrome is Google's first entry into the market and promises not only improved speed over other browsers, but better integration with the company's web-based applications and services.

"In just 100 days, we have reached more than 10 million active users around the world (on all seven continents, no less) and released 14 updates to the product," boasted product management vice president Sundar Pichai, and engineering director Linus Upson.

"Google Chrome is a better browser today thanks to the many users who sent their feedback and the many more who enabled automatic crash reports, helping us rapidly diagnose and fix issues."

The status change is also significant given Google's notoriously broad definition of beta status. The company will often keep projects in beta mode for years after they are officially released to the public.

In addition to meeting Google's standards for stability, the latest release of Chrome also sports improved JavaScript loading speeds, new bookmark features and updated plug-in features.