Google Chrome doubles market share

The market share of web browser Google Chrome is last year doubled between 10 to 15 percent.

The reports of Statcounter and Net Applications show respective market shares of 15.6 and 10 percent. Despite the differences the major line is clear: the open source browser from Googles grow last year two times larger and is the firm number three on the market, after Internet Explorer and Firefox.

In Europe Microsofts browser is no longer the number one on the market. Firefox is 4% points larger with a market share of 39%. Opera and Apple's Safari show no substantial growth or shrinkage.

The Chrome browser differentiates itself from the competition in the fact that he has a built-in download shop. This Web Store does the same thing what iTunes does for the iPhone. Thus let Google see that it attaches great importance to the web and HTML5 as a standard for applications on computer, telephone and television.

Browser usage in Europe according to Statcounter:

Statcounter

New version Firefox in February

Firefox 4

Web browser Firefox gets a new version at the end of February. According to a post on the mailing list for developers is version 4 of the software than available.

In the mail to all the developers of the Web browser writes Damon Sicore from Mozilla, the organization behind the software, that there is still such a 160 major bugs to solve for the browser will be on the market. He calls the recipients on the coming weeks to work hard for these problems to overcome.

If successful Firefox 4 should be available end of February. 

Firefox 4 has a higher speed and a new design of the browser tabs.

Also get Firefox 4 a "follow-me-not '-function. This allows users to prevent Web sites-particularly advertisers-.capture their browsing.

Firefox became recently in Europe the most widely used Web browser, for Microsofts Internet Explorer. However, not Firefox, but Google Chrome in most statistics is the largest growing company.

Test versions of the new browser are for quite some time already to download.