As promised, Google has just launched bookmark syncing for users on the dev channel of its Chrome web browser. This allows you to keep your browser bookmarks in sync no matter which of your computers you are using.
Syncing has been a standard feature of Apple’s Safari browser for some months now, but you need to have MobileMe for it to work. And Firefox users could download add-ons like Xmarks (previously called Foxmarks) to get the functionality, but with Chrome it will be built-in, and most importantly, unlike MobileMe, free. Google notes that the bookmarks are stored on users’ Google account alongside Google Docs and sync via XMPP.
To get the feature working, you apparently have to launch the dev version of Chrome with the “–enable-sync command-line flag”. If you understand what that means, you’re good to go. If not, you’ll probably want to wait for the feature to hit the regular release channel, something that will probably happen relatively soon.
Bookmark management appears to have been temporarily disabled on the latest versions of Chromium for Mac, after they were first turned on last week. When they come back, hopefully this syncing will work for Macs as well. To stay up-to-date on the latest versions of Chromium for Mac, check out our updater tool.
Awesome.
So is this the beginning of the end of delicious?
I think delicious is still relevant if you use more than one browser.
If you’re joined at the hip with Chrome then bookmark-sync might be your trip; similarly one of the add-ons for Firefox or MobileMe for multiple Macs. If your trip is One Mac plus one iPodTouch or one iPhone, then simple syncing between the two (via iTunes) might suffice.
Pick.
Delicious is probably not only relevant for your own use, e.g. accessing your bookmarks from any computer; but it also let’s you share your bookmarks.
When Google lets you share your bookmarks, or maybe integrate social capabilities to Google Bookmarks, and integrate it with Chrome, that might be the beginning of the end of delicious.
waiting for the feature to hit the regular release
Really its would be nice to have bookmark syncing inbuilt. Hopefully it support chrome for Mac when syncing gets enable
Awesome. I love how Google keeps releasing free offerings of Microsoft and Apply software.
Oh really? Microsoft offers Bookmark Sync? Since when?
I do like free offerings, but docs pales in comparison to MS Office.
Microsoft offers bookmarks sync with Windows Live Toolbar. Pretty sure it works with IE too.
and, IE doesnt save bookmarks in a single file so that syncing it is a bitch. any sync tool, like dropbox, or live sync, or live mesh, can sync IE bookmarks easy. its only ff and chrome that decided to save everything in one huge sqlite file so that they need a special tool
Whoops. Meant to say Firefox there.
A free IE add-on called IE7Pro synchs bookmarks (”online service” setting) and has other good features – works on IE8.
Add your Favorites folder to Live Mesh. Boom
Windows Live Toolbar has a Favorite Sync option which syncs them with the Windows Live Servers.
So, yes, Windows DOES have an offering.
But, the Windows Live Toolbar (and gadgets) are free, so the comment about Google offering things for free, that Microsoft charges for, is still irrelevant to this discussion, though true in other instances.
Rocking. MG, I have a theory that sometimes you write the headline and then wait for a story that fits. Confirm, deny?
no comment.
This is a comment!
SyncML ?
that would have been nice maybe they will add the option to make it useful for phones…
I HOPE that the google toolbar will add the ability to have a subset of these features (just the bookmarking would be good)
while I understand that weave uses XMPP so chrome would be natural supporting other standards would be a good thing and actually make it really useful
regards
John Jones
http://www.johnjones.me.uk
John, I believe the protocol will be open, so anyone that wanted to sync to/from this data store could do so. I’m guessing mobile/Xmarks/Firefox developers could sync data in/out down the road. More info: http://groups.g...c5b906295e39987
Would like to see Xmarks support.
They just announced it!
:D
http://blog.xmarks.com/?p=1119
Looks ok but Chrome still isn’t as good as Firefox.
As for bookmarks on Firefox I’ll keep using Nokia PC Suite and my phone to port my bookmarks between home work and on the go.
How so
I’m hooked on Chrome btw. The only downside is lack of addons (The Adsweep addon isn’t nearly as effective as Adblock Plus)
Yep. Native support for xmarks + ABP = full conversion to chrome.
Chrome still has a long way to go.
Agreed. But at least they’re not waiting years to release new versions/features.
Chrome is working hard to ‘catch up’ to the other browsers.
Chrome still needs password manager sync..
I’ll save this site and study google chrome from now on.
another great reason to use chrome now..
Step by step, chrome is what I expect.
Oh, Opera. You poor, forgotten contributor.
No argument with the many who enjoy this new Chrome feature, or similar features in other browsers. I frequently swap between browsers (on both Windows and MacOSX), so I need something that works between them. I found the GOOG interface a little clunky, and of course, no one’s home when I pop open Camino lest I open GOOG docs.
Guess I’ll stick with ol’ delicious until something leaner’n'meaner comes along.
The Xmarks alpha supposedly does chrome synching also. If it synchs from firefox to chrome and vice versa, that will be nice.
Opera also offers this functionality – great stuff, especially when using OperaMini on the BlackBerry
Hmmm, interesting… I cant even figure out how to actually delete a bookmark (r23612).
Would be a pretty cool feature once they get it working. Google used to have a firefox plugin (do they still?) that sync’ed bookmarks, but I ditched it after it wiped out my entire bookmark library.
I find these developments deeply concerning.If this announcement were about Microsoft doing this with IE then i’m sure everyone would be up in arms about it (usual attempting to take over the world sort of comment) but since its Google it must be cool.I’m not one of those individuals who jumps on the privacy bandwagon that much, but i becoming more than a little concerned about the amount of information going to Google about yourself and your activities.
I was a little hesitant before signing up for Xmarks for the same reasons; but now I am hooked. Once you experience the convenience of being able to sync and have your bookmarks on every computer and browser you use, you will never go back.
Need Xmarks sync. It already syncs IE, FF and Safari bookmarks.
I tried it this morning and youtube (I think flash player too) seems to work properly.
Anyway thanks to this update I can finally transfer all my bookmarks from the other laptop…for free and without getting mad!!!
Portable version with extensions &sync enabled:
http://is.gd/2msGn
Greetings from germany
Opera Link FTW…synchronize bookmarks, speed dial, notes, custom search engines, typed history. All between browsers both on desktop and mobile phones.
James (CEO of Xmarks) here. We just announced an alpha version of Xmarks for Chrome – you can sign up at beta.xmarks.com. This adds to our current support for Firefox, IE, and Safari, meaning you can sync bookmarks across computers and browsers.
Chrome support is great and all, but daily (several times daily actually) I get the ‘Firefox sync bug’ which tells me that there’s X bookmarks on the server but I only have Y locally. I sync anyways and life goes on, but it’s a royal pain to be prompted several times throughout my workday to do something that should happen automatically.
I’ve tried everything to resolve (deleting local, deleting server and re-syncing, upgrading the browser/add-on) but to no avail.
Would love to see a resolution to this existing bug before I get excited about support for a bleeding edge browser barely anyone uses (yet)
/rant
Don’t you think it’s blatantly unfair not to name Opera which was the first browser to implement bookmark syncing? Or just bad journalism?
Don’t you think it’s blatantly unfair not to name Opera which was the first browser to implement bookmark syncing? Or just bad journalism?
Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!
Hope they dont spy on your bookmarks.
“Syncing has been a standard feature of Apple’s Safari browser for some months now”
Actually, .Mac(MobileMe) had this ability since 2002 or so…
Minor quibble: do you want to move the last quotation mark inside command-line flag, as in
“-enable-sync” command-line flag.
Otherwise you’ll get two tabs searching for “command-line” and “flag” when you launch.
great feature.. but is there an option to share bookmarks with friends?
@Nate @relax @Eric @wortwart,
i thought i was the only one who noticed the conspicuous absence of Opera Link that syncs bookmarks and more. thanks for pointing it out to MG.
i’d expect a ‘mainstream’ publication to leave it out, but Techcrunch? Opera Link came out before Safari’s bookmark sync and Firefox’s XMarks. Please give it the proper credit.
Spare me the boredom. Does anyone really use Chrome? When does some trivial feature like this even make news? Oh I forget, its Google.
Chrome is the browser of choice for netbooks. Gives you the most browsing space without the bloat and clutter of other browsers and is the fastest to launch.
The rate of increase in Chrome usage is significant enough to take note (similar, if not faster than Firefox in it’s early days).
not a new feature, hibernater allows you to carry your bookmarks anywhere from ie and firefox with just a single account
Sync is already available in windows live through toolbar.!
http://download...ive.com/toolbar
and has been available long before MS got there in both the Google and Yahoo toolbars. Although these aren’t technically ’sync’, but just if you have the toolbar and log into your account you have access to the bookmarks in your account. Given that most web cafes have those toolbars that makes them very accessible and with no sync the bookmarks aren’t copied locally for everyone else to see.
I was hoping Chrome would just integrate the toolbar functionality instead of a sync which copies locally.
Google should release also an add-on for IE and Firefox. The idea of bookmarks synch is that my bookmarks will be available on my browser in work or school were I can’t switch to Chrome.
XMarks are doing that (and eventually I believe they will have Chrome add-on as well)
This is a nice feature — but Weave has had this functionality for a while now — not a part of the main build of Firefox, but neither is the dev version of Chrome.
Chrome is shaping up to be a very nice browser, however — all we need are some extensions that can replace some of the very nice Firefox ones.
What is Google Chrome on earth??
A browser?
I started using it (Chrome Beta) and had a lot of troubles. could not find other reporting problems…
I got a lot of duplicates, and adding/ removing or editing did not synced very well.
It adds the bookmarks as folders in the Google Docs – that you cant rid off (e.g. trying to get rid of this feature or to “reset” all – by disabling the feature, deleting all bookmarks and using one computer bookmarks to apply to all = no more duplicates – but you can’t. just getting more duplication).
Bottom line – I waited for long for this feature – and may need to wait some more for these problem to be addressed first.
Anyone had similar problem?
This is a very innovative step by Chrome Lab, I have exported all my bookmarks to my othter computer.
Chrome is expanding its reach by adding new features in its gallery though it is far away from Firefox
in terms of plugin.