Windows 8 Metro version of Chrome browser imminent

Google is preparing to release a version of its Chrome browser that will run in the Metro environment of Windows 8 for the first time, as the controversy over restrictions on third-party browsers rumbles on.

In a posting on the Chromium blog, Google developers disclosed that users will be able to try out Chrome running in Metro mode with the next Chrome Dev channel release of the browser.

The Dev channel consists of versions of Chrome that are still a work in progress and this gets updated once or twice weekly. The next version is likely just a day or two away.

Users wanting to test out the Metro functionality of Chrome will need to be running the latest Windows 8 Release Preview for the x86 platform and set Chrome as their default browser, Google said.

Meanwhile, both Google and Firefox developer Mozilla have complained that Microsoft is restricting the user's choice of browsers in Window 8, specifically in the WinRT version for ARM-based tablets.

The firms argued that because only Internet Explorer will be able to operate in both "classic" mode and the new Metro environment, other browsers would be unfairly disadvantaged.

A US senate committee has confirmed it will hold a preliminary inquiry into the issue, which could see the software giant back in the spotlight for anti-trust behaviour relating to its browser.

:story: V3.co.uk