Chrome Simplifies, Ditches URL Bar

When Chrome, the web browser backed by search giant Google, was first unleashed onto the internet it brought the innovation of the “Omni Box;” a single text field that accepted URLs as well as search terms. After three years, it seems that Google is further simplifying by doing away with the URL bar altogether.

The feature appeared in Canary, Chrome’s nightly build project. In it, the menu buttons move up to the tab-bar level, along with the navigation buttons. To view the tab bar, users can double click the tab they are in, or hit CTRL+L. For netbook users, the extra thirty pixels of visible real estate should be a welcome boon. However, there are some concerns that users could be more vulnerable to phishing scams, since they can’t immediately see the URL of the site they are visiting.

There is currently no word as to whether this feature will make it into the final distribution of Chrome. If you’re curious about trying it out, download Canary and bask in the glow of an dead simple interface.

(Conceivably Tech via Life Hacker)