Google has released the latest version of its browser, Chrome 12, which will soon be distributed to users via automatic updates. If you don’t want to wait, you can install the new version manually.

Many of the changes in the new version focus on security. The Safe Browsing technology in Chrome has been updated to provide some protection against malware and phishing and will be able to detect some malware in files. At the moment, Google hasn’t made any specific claims about the effectiveness of this newly implemented defense.

In addition to the malware protection, there are new controls for Flash’s local shared objects. This makes it possible for users to delete Flash cookies, a task that previously could only be accomplished by using Adobe’s online settings application.

Not all of the updates are about protecting users, however – some are about having more fun. Chrome 12 is introducing hardware acceleration for 3D CCS transforms. This provides yet another hardware-accelerated option for delivering media to users. Google has a demo of this new functionality. It displays a running video clip that users can rotate, scale and apply 3D effects to in real time.

As could be expected, the new version also includes some bug fixes and a number of smaller improvements. For example, users can now launch Chrome apps by entering their title into the omnibox.

Source: Google Chrome Blog