Google has unveiled a new beta version of its Chrome browser, which is purportedly twice as fast as the previous version and adds some needed new features.

Did you think Google would let let Apple have all the St. Patrick's Day glory? Not a chance.

On the same day that Apple announced its new iPhone 3.0 OS, Google unveiled a new beta version of its Chrome browser.

Google promises that the updated beta is much faster than its predecessor: "almost twice as fast when compared to our original beta version," Brian Rakowski, a Google product manager, wrote in a blog post.

The updated Chrome also includes some new features, including autofill, full-page zoom, auto-scroll, and new drag tabs.

Want to see two tabs side-by-side? Drag one of the tabs out to the side of the screen and the update Chrome will auto-fit both windows.

Chrome will now remember the text you enter into Web sites for future visits. You can erase saved data via the "clear browsing data" on the Tools menu or shut off the feature completely via the "minor tweaks tab" under the Tools and Options menus.

To get full-page zoom, select Page Menu and Zoom. "Whereas text zoom only affects the text on a webpage, full-page zoom scales everything on the page, including images," Google said.

Auto-scroll, meanwhile, will kick in by clicking the center button on your mouse. "As you move your mouse, the page automatically scrolls according to the direction of the mouse."

"Getting on the beta channel means your version of Google Chrome will regularly get updated with new speed enhancements, features, and bug fixes before most users see them," Rakowski wrote. "We're doing our best to quickly churn out new features as they are available rather than saving them up for occasional major releases. Riding the beta channel is a great way to let us know about what's working and what's not, but don't be surprised to find some rough edges."

Google on Tuesday also launched a blog devoted entirely to Chrome.

Google released Chrome in September 2008. As of February 2009, it had captured 1.12 percent of the market behind Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari, according to data from Net Applications.