Google has decided to take another big step, only this time in the sphere already dominated by names such as Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. You’ve guessed it, we’re talking about a browser that Google said it would introduce in more than 100 countries as of today, called Google Chrome.

It may seem odd that Google is trying to launch a browser, but Chrome promises to be not just another browser, but a browser that will make other browsers follow an example. The beta version of Google’s open source browser was intended as a way of giving users a better experience, all driven by innovation.

“So why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web,” Google said in a blog post.

In order to make users better understand what Chrome is all about, Google also made available a comic book introducing the new browser. The comic was made publicly available here.

Google Chrome relies on two basic characteristics, it is streamlined and simple. Furthermore, while creating Chrome, Google tried to incorporate the features people want to find in a browser, in addition to the web pages and applications: “like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go,” Sundar Pichai, VP Product Management, and Linus Upson, Engineering Director, explained on Google’s blog.

The element that should be most surprising about Google Chrome is that the concept started not from other browsers, but from the things users do inside a browser. Starting from scratch isn’t exactly easy, but “we realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser.”

In other words, the Google team wanted to create more than a browser (in fact, I don’t really think we need a IE or Firefox lookalike right now). Google Chrome was built on a modern platform for web pages and applications, and according to Google, is capable of running today’s complex applications much better.

By going a bit into details, Google explained that by keeping each tab in an isolated “sandbox,” they managed to prevent one tab from crashing another, as well as provide protection from rogue sites. Furthermore, Google Chrome comes with improved speed and responsiveness, as well as a powerfull JavaScript engine, V8, to support next-gen applications that are not possible in today’s browsers.

However, as good as it may sound, Google Chrome is far from reaching its final form. Google is planning on using user feedback to improve the browser, and in addition to the Windows version, which is set to be released, Google will also be working on Mac and Linux versions.

“The web gest better with more options and innovation,” the company said. “Google Chrome is another option, and we hope it contributes to making the web even better.”

Update: Although Google Chrome is not officially available for download (yet), the download page lived long enough to give some hints on how the browser will look like. The first screenshots revealed a tab bar just above the address bar, and a quite simple structure. Until we get to download it, feast your eyes on some screenshots.

Meanwhile, Mozilla CEO John Lily shared his thoughts on Google's new browser project, Chrome, and what that means for Mozilla. "It should come as no real surprise that Google has done something here — their business is the web, and they've got clear opinions on how things should be, and smart people thinking about how to make things better. Chrome will be a browser optimized for the things that they see as important, and it'll be interesting to see how it evolves," he said.