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Google pushes Chrome 15 with redesigned New Tab sporting customizable home screens

Google today announced in a blog post that the stable version of Chrome 15 is now available for download for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame. You should have been auto-updated by now, but you can always check for updates manually by choosing About Google Chrome from the Chrome menu bar. This version of Chrome adds more than a dozen tweaks, under-the-hood improvements, the obligatory bug fixes and goodies for end users, the most notable being a redesigned New Tab page. The new Tab Page, the company explained in a separate blog post, features rethought layout which is more streamlined and easier to navigate. Granted, this tweaked interface is pretty clever and a pleasure to use.

Big app icons are still front and center, grouped according to your choosing at the window’s bottom. You can switch between the Most Visited, Recently Closed and Apps sections or rename a section by double-clicking its name. In addition, you can move your apps around and reorganize them just like your smartphone’s home screen icons. This includes “swiping” between different home screens by clicking the arrow icon, moving apps between the home screens and creating a new home screen by dragging an app to the bottom area of the page where you sections reside. In previous version, you would remove a web app from Chrome by right-clicking its icon on the New Tab Page and selecting Remove from Chrome.

A quicker way of uninstalling Chrome web apps is now available: Begging dragging an app icon and the “Remove from Chrome” trash can icon will automatically appear in the lower-right hand corner. Just drag your app onto this icon to trash it. Accompanying this Chrome update, Google today also updated its Chrome Web Store with a matching new look combining web apps and themes and featuring the sticky lefthand category pane, handy item overlays, a brand new reviews interface that links to the Google+ profile of each reviewer and more.

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