Opera 10.5 may challenge Google Chrome’s claim to perkiest Windows browser out there, but the latest version of Chrome includes a clever new feature yet unmatched in the browser wars: automatic site translation, plus beefed up privacy controls.
Much like the “translate this page” feature Google already offers when foreign-language pages show up in search results, Chrome will now automatically detect which language a page is in and offer to translate it for you. The main benefit: you won’t have to make a trip to Google Translate to copy and paste in a URL whenever you stumble upon a jumble of Cyrillic characters anymore, and you can ditch the annoying top frame that accompanies translated sites.
Chrome Beta 4.1 also introduces a new Privacy control panel under Chrome’s options, allowing users to set specific options for how Chrome should handle cookies, images, JavaScript, plug-ins, and pop-ups, all on a granular site-by-site basis. These features join the existing “incognito mode,” which prevents downloads and history from being recorded as you browse.
The Google Chrome 4.1 download is available as a free download immediately.