Chrome 37 Released for Windows 7/8/8.1 with 64-bit and DirectWrite

Google has been busy in the last few days releasing Google Chrome 37 (officially 37.0.2062.94) for different platforms with improved screen font display via DirectWrite, many security fixes and 64-bit support under Windows, with a Mac Beta version also supporting 64-bit as well.

The 64-bit version of Chrome for Windows is not something new, but previously it was only available for people who wished to try it out separate to the official stable version of Chrome. Now this early version has been promoted to a full release. It should provide a more robust and faster web browsing experience for people using a 64-bit version of Windows.

Password Managed Redux

The password manager has gotten a revamped look and response rather than a wholly different password manager feature set. Enter a password and the prompt will appear to save it. The manager can now integrate some network-relevant password saving too.

Improved Text Rendering

DirectWrite support under Windows allows for better font rendering. The Microsoft DirectWrite is an API with text rendering and layout improvements which isn't new as it was present as far back as Windows Vista.

Chromium in October 2009 picked up a bug report about the poor text rendering inside of Chrome. This has finally been addressed with the implementation of DirectWrite in Chrome Canary 37.

Previously, Chrome relied on the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) which dates back to the 1980s and the super low-resolution displays of the day. The font rendering engine for Chrome needed to be substantially reconfigured in order to facilitate the upgrade for DirectWrite support.

As can be seen with the above screen capture, the text is now substantially clearer and should render well even on lower resolution displays.

64-bit Support

64-bit support in Chrome 37 won't make the web browser twice as quick as it's sister 32-bit version, but it does help with smoothing out some of the stability and performance issues along the way. In terms of stability, it has been mooted that the new 64-bit version is close to twice as reliable. Memory management is also improved, a major problem with Chrome when many tabs are open at once.

Security Fixes

Included in Chrome 37 are 50 bug fixes covering a range of known security issues. The ongoing battle to keep Chrome as close to bug free as possible rages on.

Other Versions

Chrome was also updated for Linux and Mac. Mac has a beta version of Chrome now with 64-bit support too.