Google adds search by image to Chrome browser

Chrome 30 also features many security fixes

Google's latest Chrome browser update fixes 50 security problems and gives users the capability to use images as search queries.

With the Stable version of Chrome 30, now available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Chrome Frame, users can right-click on an image and have Google search for it on its Web index, the company said Tuesday.

In the blog post announcing the browser update, Google included a screenshot of an example of this feature, showing an image-query search using the photo of a beach and "Maldive Islands" as the search engine's best guess for it.

Several of the security fixes are rated "High," including a memory corruption bug in the browser's V8 JavaScript engine and an address bar spoofing vulnerability.

Version 30 also adds new APIs (application programming interfaces) and "under the hood" improvements for stability and performance, according to the company.

Google also added new hand-gesture controls for the Android version of Chrome, including a horizontal swipe across the top toolbar to switch tabs and a vertical drag from the toolbar to call up the tab switcher.

Google will roll out the update over the coming days. It will also provide more details about the security fixes once a majority of Chrome users have moved to this version.

Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at @JuanCPerezIDG.

Tags browsersGooglesoftwareapplicationspatches

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