New Chrome beta runs 30 percent faster

Google has released a new Chrome beta that promises higher speeds, integration of some HTML5 features and greater customisation of the user interface.

The new beta is up to 30 percent faster, the company claims, mostly owing to better handling of JavaScript functions. Domain Name System caching and Document Object Model bindings have also been improved.

Support for HTML5 features, notably video tagging and web workers functions, has been added. Rival Mozilla's latest Firefox browser already has full HTML5 support.

The Chrome user interface has also been changed, most notably the opening tab pages which show the user's most frequently visited pages and bookmarks.

"Embarrassed that checking out lolcats is showing up as your most popular browser pastime? Now you can bump up something dignified and refined into that top Most Visited slot with a simple click and drag of your mouse," said the company on the Chrome blog.

"You can pin web site thumbnails to a particular spot so they don't disappear even if your browsing habits change."

Navigation tools have also been upgraded via the Omnibox function, which gives a drop down menu of favourite sites, and the browser can now be customised using various pre-loaded themes.