Google has released an update to the Chrome browser for Windows 8, which imports some features from its own Chrome OS.
The update is only available via Google's developer channel for now, but marks a radical UI update on Chrome 31 for Windows 8.
If set as the default browser, and launched from the Windows 8 Start screen, Chrome now lets you launch multiple browser panes within the app, which snap to different parts of the screen. Previously, launching Chrome as an app meant the browser simply went full screen.
There's also a row of apps displayed outside the browser, at the bottom, left or right of the screen, which lets you access popular Google services such as Gmail, YouTube or Google Docs directly. Clicking any of the apps launches it as a new tab on Chrome.
The update essentially lets Google integrate its app ecosystem more closely with Chrome on Windows 8, much like Chrome OS. However, sales of devices running Chrome OS are flagging, which may explain why Google is aping its interface elsewhere.
The company recently brought desktop apps to Chrome OS, and also made them available on Windows.
Google hasn't said when a stable release of the new Chrome for Windows 8 might arrive.
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