Hot off the heels of the Android Market web store, Google has now rolled out the Chrome Web Store. It’s one of the new features bundled with Chrome 9, the latest iteration of their hit web browser.

So, how do you access the Chrome Web Store? Well, it’s easy. If you’ve got Chrome 9 already, just open a New Tab and, lo and behold, apart from the usual shortcuts linking to your most visited sites and recently closed tabs, there’s now a row of Apps there too. By default, you have several apps installed. Just click on the Web Store shortcut and, presto, you’re transported to the whole new world of Chrome web apps.

Unlike the recently opened Mac App Store, apps here aren’t full-fledged programs that install on to your PC/Mac. These are merely web apps. Meaning, they operate and function from within Chrome and not outside of it. Depending on the app, you might need an active Internet connection to use it.

Here’s a helpful little video from Google to further explain what a web app is:

Apart from apps, the Chrome Web Store also hosts the various themes and extensions available for the Chrome web browser. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for everything Chrome.

Now, the big question: Does it work here in the Philippines? For free apps, yes. There’s no question about it. And the good part is, most of their app offerings, as of this posting, are free.

For paid apps, however, I’m not too sure. I haven’t seen anything interesting enough worth buying, but based on the options available during the payment process, it should be possible.

How about other browsers? Is it possible to access the Chrome Web Store from just any browser? Yes it can be viewed but, for obvious reasons, you can’t download apps. It is, however, compatible with older versions of Chrome so you don’t necessarily have to upgrade to Chrome 9 just to enjoy this new feature.

If you still don’t want to upgrade to Chrome 9 just yet but want to reap the benefits of the Chrome Web Store, just point your Chrome browser to chrome.google.com/webstore.

With this neat new feature, Google Chrome is definitely setting themselves apart from the rest of the pack and changing the way we look at web browsers.

Allan David

Online, Allan’s got you covered as far as news (and some reviews every now and then) goes. Offline, you’ll see him either sweating it out in the badminton courts or dining out in one of the new restos around town. His favorite noodles: cold soba.

email: allan@technoodling.netwebsite: http://oasis1.wordpress.com