Here comes the 16^th version of Google Chrome in the stable form which has got a brand new feature that creates as well as synchronizes multiple profiles for even the single usage stint of the renowned web browser.

The newly introduced feature will prove especially useful for those who share their PC with other users as they’ll get to keep their bookmarks, settings, applications, extensions and even the history totally separate from the other users.

For the creation of a new profile, users will have to go to the preference/personal stuff section and straight forwardly click on “Add new user”. This will get you a possibility to create a new profile which comes with a badge along with a random name which can then be edited according to your wish. There will be a small clickable label in the top right corner of the browser window which will keep you aware of the account presently in use. By clicking on the label you’ll be able to switch the accounts.

However, it is notable that this new feature doesn’t do anything to secure your data from other users of your computer. To speak it out clearly, the profiles aren’t password protected, and anyone can open any of the browser profiles. Perhaps the main reason behind introducing this new feature is to make browser usage more systematic and organized and browsing privacy.

Along with the addition of multiple profile support to this new release of Chrome, it also takes into account 15 other risks and vulnerabilities ranging from high level of risk to that of medium level. Some of these high security risks include – URL bar spoofing, out of bounds writers in the V8 JavaScript engine, use-after-free errors, and buffer overflow in the handling of PDF font.

An amount of $6,000 has been handed over to the external researchers for the sake of reporting the bugs by Google under its Chromium Security Rewards program.

Opera, the most neglected browser of the world has finally come up with a breakthrough as it has just released the revised version of Opera 11.60. Codenamed as “Tunny” (which is another name for tuna fish) is said to be the full and final version of 11.60 which has brought about some of the latest features and security and stability related improvements.

Notably, the company had originally decided to bring out its version 12 as its next stable version but it changed its plans and came out with some of the improved features in the interim release itself which brought out this edited release.

Opera 11.60, the revised edition works much faster than its predecessors. It opens and closes at a much faster rate. It is pretty fast on the secure pages and offers wonderful web compatibility, and it utilizes quite a lesser memory compared to its former versions.

Talking about its features, it offers a revamped address bar that has a special Star button which has the ability to add new pages to your bookmarks or Speed Dial instantly and at the same time the email client of the browser comes along with a cleaner and offers a more instantaneous design.

The press release of the Opera’s new 11.60 version claims, “Almost 50% of the world’s population has never tried a new browser — people in your own town, maybe even someone you know. Why not help them discover something better this year? A new browser is a gift that keeps giving all year round.”

Along with the claim, it mentioned a list of several reasons why you should download the browser. The browser seems to have made lots of interesting improvements but in spite of making so many wonderful offers, it has much-much far to go to have a better market share which it has been struggling to have for quite a long time.

According to market researchers, Opera has a 2% market share across the globe right now. At the same time Firefox which had been doing wonderfully well for last three years has finally got a back seat with the success of its contender Google’s Chrome which has grown its market share from mere 4.66% (which it had two years back) to 25.7% today. Firefox now holds 25.23% of the market and Internet Explorer still rules the browser market with more than 40% share.

Firefox has been an amazing internet browser indeed. Way back in 2003, it was Firefox that got the internet users fed up of monotony of Internet Explorer 6 all on its own, when there was no other way out. It then made a great place for itself among the other internet browsers.

However, it was just the last week when it was found to have gone down the ladder and as Google’s browser Chrome has taken a place above it as it has now got about 25% market share compared to mere 3% market share that it had two years back. This latest figure matches with the usage of Firefox across the globe.

Now with this incredible success of Google’s Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox has got the setback of getting their market share reduced. But the worst effected one is Opera as it already had quite a small market share and now its market has shrunk further. And in the meanwhile Apple’s Safari has made a better place for itself.

Talking about the Mozilla and the development plans of Firefox, it seems that it may have to go through a rough path as it mostly depends on the revenues that it gets from the browser’s built in Google Toolbar. Mozilla itself informed that more than 80% of its income for the years 2009 and 2010 came up from the partnership of the company with Google which got it about $100 million for each of the years.

The interesting twist in the scene is that with Chrome’s success, Google may cut down its expenditure on its Firefox-Google deal which recently got over this last November itself and now it is up for a renewal. Google may not look forward to a deal with it competitor and may instead go for the leverage of its own browser.

But then there is one more twist in the scene that even Microsoft has come up to show itself in the scene. As by the end of October itself it started offering “Firefox with Bing” and in fact Mozilla has become its new favorite even when it is a competitor of its Internet Explorer.

Taking a look at the mobile browsing world, Firefox just couldn’t make its presence felt in the smart phone world which is the pulse of the time and where all its competitors have already made their dominion if not lot much, still quite a bit. Safari has its place on iOS, Chrome on Android, and Opera Mini can also be found on various different platforms with some success. And now Microsoft is also busy making its IE competitive with placing it as a browser choice for Windows Phone users and eyeing upon having it presence on tablets with the arrival of Windows 8.

With all these circumstance around, will Firefox be dead in the coming future? Firefox has surely fared bad in the mobile front and it didn’t do anything to stay above Chrome in the desktop browser battle.

Now how will it be faring in future depends on funding. Will Google be funding it? That’s a question which hasn’t yet got any answer. And if Google resolves not to turn up, will Microsoft really come to help out Mozilla with funding? Researchers consider Facebook and Amazon as two other possible parties that may come up in funding Firefox, but this only the time will clear out, whether or not the things suspected by the researchers will really happen. However for now, Firefox continues to hold 25% market share.

Chrome seems to be overpowering Firefox this is what the latest reports on Global Web Browser Usage from StatCounter and Net Applications are saying. If the reports are to be believed, especially the one from StatCounter, Google Chrome has already over taken the usage share of Firefox. And Net Application places Firefox by 4% points, whichever reports you choose to follow or believe; Chrome seems to be taking the second spot right behind IE soon.

Chrome has taken 25.7% of the global market compared to 25.23% of Firefox according to StatCounter report. This is a direct rise of 4.66% from the share it had two years back. Even though the difference is marginal, yet there’s a difference which one can notice. At the same time, the report from Net Applications suggested a gain of 0.7% to 18.2% in November by Chrome and a drop of 0.4% to 22.1% by Firefox during the same time. If this estimation is to be believed, there are enough chances of Chrome’s overpowering Firefox by March 2012.

StatCouter Global Brower Usage report has found that the Internet Explorer from Microsoft still has a very powerful hold in the market globally which is something between 40.63% and 52.63%. Opera tried pretty hard to come up as an alternate browser for the Firefox and Chrome users but unfortunately it couldn’t exceed its 2% global market share.  Safari has made its place with 5 to 6% market share when you consider the desktop browser usage but it largely dominates the mobile browser space with 55% share.

Again while considering the mobile browser space, Opera Mini was left behind by Android browser this October by putting to the second place slot but interestingly, in November Opera Mini made better place again. So now the browser space shared by them respectively is 20.1% and 16%.

Net Applications Global Mobile Browser Usage has found that mobile browsers still occupy a smaller part of the market compared to the desktop browsers. Nevertheless, it is notable that with the increase in the usage of smart phones and tablets, mobile browsing is expected to rise soon. Net Applications found that browsing through the personal computer in the month of November took as high as 92% where as it is only 6.7% through the mobile devices.

IE9, Firefox4, and Chrome 11 are all available in the market and the second browser war is catching the fire. Here are the market share figures of the major web-browsers for last month.

Between the months of April and May, Internet Explorer observed a drop of 0.84% points which is slightly more than what it observed the previous month. However, Firefox got to see a growth of 0.08% points, which happens to be less than the loss that it had seen the last month. Ad interim, Chrome has made a gain of 0.58% points, which made it the biggest winner for the last month. At the same time, Safari went up with 0.13% points and Opera went down by 0.11% points.

IE has indeed hit a new low once again by being at 54.27 percent. The most advanced and distinguished browser that Microsoft has brought out happens to be IE9 but it captured no more than 4.19 percent of the market last month which made it up by 1.78% points. IE8 went down by 1.78% points; interestingly, it still holds the title of the world’s most popular internet browser. IE7 lost 0.31% points and IE 6 went down 0.49 % points. It looks apparent that it will fall further and will go down the10% mark in the next month.

Firefox, on the other hand is at 21.71%, even then it hasn’t reached the peak that it had touched the last year, i.e. 24.72%. It seems that Mozilla has not yet got much help from its Firefox 4 in regaining an all encompassing market share, even though Firefox 4 captured the market by an exulting 10.08% last month making it up by 4.65% points. In the meanwhile, Firefox 3.6 and 3.5 have lost 4.88 and 0.20 percent points respectively.

Chrome has made a new record at 12.52% by being a browser which is known to be used by 1 in 8 of all the internet users. The main reason behind the popularity it has gained is its built-in updating system. Chrome 11 has captured 9.73% and gone up by 9.23% points. However, Chrome 10 and 9 have fallen 8.71 and 0.06 percent points respectively.

With all these data, Firefox stands First, IE stands Second, Chrome is at Third, Safari is at Fourth, and Opera occupies Fifth position in the current browser war.