Forget Chrome 1.0, Google has upgraded its open-source browser to version 2.0. The evolution of the stable release of Google Chrome has taken the browser up to Build 2.0.172.28. What does this mean? Well it means that the Mountain View-based search giant is no longer offering Chrome 1.0 Build 1.0.154.65 as the stable version by default to all end users. Instead, the company is now already at version 2.0 at just eight months since the introduction of Chrome. On May 21, 2009, Google informed that it promoted Chrome 2.0.172 from Beta to the Stable channel.

“Here are some improvements that you'll notice right away: Improved New Tab Page – the most requested feature from users was the ability to remove thumbnails from the New Tab page. Full Screen Mode – now you can hide the title bar and the rest of the browser window by hitting F11 or selecting the option in the Tools menu. Form Autofill: Filling out your information in forms over and over again can be tedious. Form autofill helps by showing information you've previously entered into the same form fields automatically. If at any point you want to clear out your information, that's easy to do from the Tools menu,” revealed Darin Fisher, Google Chrome Team.

However, at the same time, there are additional changes to take into consideration. The Mountain View search giant has stressed that the latest release brings to the table a new level of stability. Since the launch of Chrome 1.0, Google has resolved over 300 bugs that caused crashes for the browser. At the same time, Google 2.0 raises the bar when it comes to speed, which is good news for Chrome users that have been applauding the open-source Google browser from the get go for its high performance.

“Making the web faster continues to be our main area of focus. Thanks to a new version of WebKit and an update to our JavaScript engine, V8, interactive web pages will run even faster. We've also made sure that JavaScript keeps running fast even when you have lots of tabs open,” Fisher said, adding “Today, we are updating to a new version of Google Chrome that is faster than ever. JavaScript-heavy web pages will now run about 30% faster.”

The latest releases of Google Chrome are available for download here.