The new stable release of Google's web browser Chrome brings several improvements, most importantly faster browsing and more protection from malicious downloads.

From now on, when you start typing in Chrome's address box (or omnibox, as Google calls it), as soon as Chrome autocompletes the URL you're likely to visit, it will prerender the page, making your overall browsing experience faster.

As far as security goes, Chrome now does checks on executable files you've downloaded from the net. It matches the executables against a whitelist - a list of programs known to be safe - and if it can't find the file there, it does some additional checks. For example, if the site you're visiting hosts a high number of malicious downloads, Chrome will let you know.

The update comes just one day after Google announced Chrome for Android mobile devices.

Google also promises some updates to Chrome OS for the "near future," including a new image editor and an improved Verizon 3G activation portal.

You can download the latest version of Google Chrome here.