The latest developer release of Google Chrome 5 that was released a few hours ago introduces a geolocation feature to the web browser. Google Chrome 5 version 5.0.342.1 and later now include an early version of the geolocation api which can be enabled by starting the web browser with the –enable-geolocation startup parameter.
Geolocation has been added to make use of the user’s location when providing services to the user. This feature can be integrated into websites and extensions.
The user’s privacy is guaranteed since a confirmation prompt is displayed whenever a service tries to access the geolocation feature to detect the user’s location.
The geolocation feature is for instance used in Google Maps to locate the user on the world map and it is likely that new applications will eventually be released that make use of this feature.
Internet users who want to test the new geolocation feature need to download the latest version of the Google Chrome dev release to do so and start the browser with the parameter mentioned above.
It should also be noted that permissions are not persistent and that wifi based location is currently only supported on Windows and Mac (but not OSX 10.6).
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Google Chrome 5 Beta
That what I’m waiting for. Before I thought why on earth I have to switch to Firefox for to retrieve my geolocation. I’ll check to update my chrome.
After the Buzz thing, I’m surprised Google didn’t just enable geolocation by default.
Is there anyone left that Google doesn’t have strings tied to?
I don’t know. Maybe my grandma.