Google

If you've ever wondered which of your 200 browser tabs is making all that racket, the latest Chrome Beta can lend an ear.

When a tab is streaming audio in Chrome 32 Beta, an indicator will appear next to the close tab X. The indicators will change depending on the source, so streaming audio will be denoted by a speaker icon, a red circle will indicate a Web cam, and Chromecast's box icon will notify you when you're broadcasting a tab to your television.

Another change in Chrome 32 Beta gives some attention to Windows 8 Metro mode. The new look of the browser is nearly identical to the look of the Chromebook, complete with Web app launcher and multiple-window support.

While Google crowed in its blog post that the "common interface" will "bring great experiences," it's also a shot across Microsoft's bow that Google thinks Windows 8's tiled interface isn't working. It also makes it more visually apparent that Web apps are a part of Chrome, something that Google would like everybody to recognize. Google powered up the Chrome App Store in September for the browser's fifth anniversary.

Also new in the beta is a security feature that automatically blocks malware files. Google did not immediately respond to a request to clarify whether Chrome actively scans files to determine if they're malicious, or if it uses a blacklist.

The new beta includes new APIs for apps and extensions, although Google did not specify what those were.