Or… why it might just be the best thing ever. (Or nearly that.)

Since Google Chrome began, it has been relatively slim compared to its competitors. I was always a Firefox user until recently. I use Firefox still for certain things, which may never change. When Chrome came along, I tested its beta and then used it for a couple months before putting it aside.

Several releases back Google included a sync of bookmarks and open tabs. A feature much like what Apple did with Safari and iCloud. iCloud has some niceness to it, however after being a user of both browsers and using multiple operating systems I have to crown the winner of best cross-platform browser sync to Chrome.

Once Chrome was able to be loaded on the iPhone and iPad I was able to have my bookmarks shared across four computers, two tablets, and two cell phones. It has been a wonderful convenience to have a browser window open at work, open the browser on my home computer and be able to view what I was reading at work practically right where I left off. Also comes in handy if you are killing time waiting for a doctor or other appointment. (Assuming, of course, you were reading something intriguing when you left your computer and didn’t mind a small screen.)

All of this is not being said because I am fond of Google’s products. I have recently become perturbed by the impending demise of Google Reader. It is being said because they got the browser sync right, and because unlike iCloud, it is cross-platform.

*** All of this aside, this was written without considering any social bookmark sites. They have convenient features, but they aren’t always simple for most non-web savvy among us. They require more steps as well.