Google Chrome 4.1 Beta Speaks in Tongues, Privately

By Nick Mokey Published March 2, 2010

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.

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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.

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The Google Chrome 4.1 download is available as a free download immediately.

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