Google may also extensively modify Chrome on Metro before it declares the browser finished.

"Over the next few months, we'll be smoothing out the UI on Metro and improving touch support," said Carlos Pizano, a Google software engineer, in a blog post last week announcing the impending release of Chrome.

Google first acknowledged it was working on a Windows 8-specific version of Chrome in mid-March, about a month after rival Mozilla said the same about Firefox. But Google has now not only caught up, but also passed its rival; Firefox on Metro won't show in any form before mid-July, when Mozilla rolls out Firefox 14.

Users who want to try out Chrome's Metro browser can switch to the Dev channel by downloading the Windows edition from . They must also set Chrome as the default browser for it to show up on the Metro Start screen.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at , on or subscribe to . His email address is .