Released just over a year ago, Chrome is fairly new on the browser scene. It’s a rethink of how browsers work and in typical Google style it’s upset the entire market, having already overtaken Apple’s Safari. Google are obviously pushing Chrome with a big campaign, and well they should. For the world’s biggest Internet company there are a lot of advantages to having their own browser.

Chrome is built to work flawlessly with all Google services, automatically extending their hold on the web ecosystem to users’ desktops. But, maybe more importantly, the high profile of Chrome pushes progress on greater standards compliance in all browsers. Something that can only be good for a company whose business is building for the web.

Demonstrating Chrome’s advanced features with simple animations

Google also recently introduced Goggles; their visual search technology. The tech here is stunningly clever (another Google tradition), allowing you to search based on images and locations instead of typing in text. Just imagine going shopping with a whole Internet of price comparisons available to you at the click of a shutter!

With Google virtually owning the index to the Internet they’re the gatekeepers of this kind of technology. This is enormous power when you think about the potential nefarious applications for visual search tech.

Introducing Google Goggles: a visual search application for Android phones

It seems like day by day Google is slowly taking over the world, everything they touch turns to gold and every market they enter is shaken up. But should we worry about the power that such a fast growing company wields? Or should we trust Google and their corporate motto; “don’t be evil”?