This time it's personal

Anyone who’s argued over the TV remote knows that sharing a living room doesn’t mean you want to share everything else. The same is true on the web. So in the latest Chrome beta, we're exploring a new way for you to share your computer without sharing your business.

Get started by clicking on “You” in the upper right corner of your Chrome window and then clicking “Sign in to Chrome.” You’ll be able to switch devices and pick up where you left off with all of your tabs, bookmarks, and history automatically kept in sync.

If you share a computer, click "Switch person" to add your profile and get your own bookmarks, apps, and theme. Switching lets you keep your stuff separate.

With the new “Guest mode,” you can let others use Chrome without letting them see your stuff. And after they’ve closed out their tabs, their browsing information is deleted from your computer as well. To enable Guest mode, click on You (or your name if you’ve signed in) > Switch person > Browse as Guest.
Here's to no more login tango or making friends open incognito tabs. Happy (shared) browsing!

Posted by Roger Tawa, your personal Chrome Engineer

That’s not the download you’re looking for...

[Cross-posted on the Google Online Security Blog]

You should be able to use the web safely, without fear that malware could take control of your computer, or that you could be tricked into giving up personal information in a phishing scam.

That’s why we’ve invested so much in tools that protect you online. Our Safe Browsing service protects you from malicious websites and warns you about malicious downloads in Chrome. We’re currently showing more than three million download warnings per week—and because we make this technology available for other browsers to use, we can help keep 1.1 billion people safe.

Starting next week, we’ll be expanding Safe Browsing protection against additional kinds of deceptive software: programs disguised as a helpful download that actually make unexpected changes to your computer—for instance, switching your homepage or other browser settings to ones you don’t want.

We’ll show a warning in Chrome whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software. (If you still wish to proceed despite the warning, you can access it from your Downloads list.)

As always, be careful and make sure you trust the source when downloading software. Check out these tips to learn how you can stay safe on the web.

Posted by Moheeb Abu Rajab, Staff Engineer, Google Security

A new type of Chromebook with extra-long battery life

Chromebooks were designed for your mobile lifestyle. They’re thin and light, resume instantly, and are easy to use.

Starting today, we’re welcoming a new type of Chromebook into the family, beginning with the Acer Chromebook 13. This new device uses the NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor, so you get the speed you’re used to from Chromebooks with a battery life up to 13 hours. What could you do in thirteen hours?

• Fly from New York to Beijing
• Watch the entire set of Harry Potter movies
• Complete an Iron Man triathlon (average finish time is 12hr 13min)
• Finish a 1-credit college course
• Watch 390 adorable cat videos (2 min per video)
• Use your Chromebook 13 to watch, play and get a lot done

The Acer Chromebook 13 is available now (with optional touchscreen and 1080p resolution) at Amazon and other online retailers from $279.

Posted by Bill Brougher, Engineering Director & frequent flyer

Space, Chrome and the amazing journey of the ISEE-3

Unless you’re a rocket scientist, you’ve probably never heard the story of the International Sun/Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3) - yet it has had one of the most fascinating journeys in all of space flight. Originally launched in 1978 to study the Sun, it was the first spacecraft in the world to fly by a comet and has been orbiting the sun for billions of miles since 1986. Now, the ISEE-3 is headed back towards Earth and is on its way to becoming the first citizen science spacecraft thanks to a crowdfunded effort called The ISEE-3: Reboot Project.

There’s also a new way for everyone to get involved. In a new Chrome Experiment called A Spacecraft for All, you can follow the unlikely odyssey of the ISEE-3 using Chrome’s interactive WebGL graphics and video. You can re-live its story, read its re-activated data instruments, learn about its current position and trajectory—and explore space along the way. It’s all designed to make space science simple, fun and accessible enough for anyone eager to learn—whether you’re a Ph.D. or grade school student.

The experience will build up to a live event this Sunday, August 10, when the ISEE-3 will fly by the Moon for the first time in decades. We’ll document every second with a live lunar flyby demo, and we’re inviting the entire world to join in. You can follow the spacecraft’s trajectory real-time, along with interviews with the Reboot team, visits from the original ISEE-3 Flight Director, and live data measurements coming directly from space!

Explore the journey of this decorated spacecraft and join us live from the control room on Sunday, August 10 at 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET.

Suzanne Chambers, Executive Producer & Space Cadet, Creative Lab New York