Google on Wednesday released a new version of its Chrome browser, the third Chrome beta release.Chrome users can expect an automatic update soon.

Version 0.3.154.9 fixes a security issue that allowed address spoofing in pop-up windows. "The window's address bar could be manipulated to show a different address than the actual origin of the content," explains Mark Larson, Google Chrome program manager, in a blog post.

Version 0.3.154.9 also enables laptop touchpad scrolling, improves plug-in and proxy performance and reliability, fixes a PDF crash generated by closing a tab, and eliminates the storage of data from secure sites.

The updated Chrome also has benefited from some housekeeping and interface changes. The menu commands "New incognito window" and "New window" now always open new windows, privacy protected and normal, respectively. The spell checker now works on text input fields and allows users to add words to the spell check dictionary. And file downloading has been changed to make it more secure.

Chrome is currently a distant fourth in terms of market share. According to Net Applications, the global browser market-share breakdown, as of Oct. 30, is as follows: Microsoft Internet Explorer (71.52%), Mozilla Firefox (19.46%), Apple Safari (6.65%), Google Chrome (0.78%), and Opera (0.69%).

Chrome is currently available for Windows XP and Vista; Google plans to release a Mac version in the near future.