Google Chrome (click for image gallery)

Google on Tuesday released a new beta version of its Chrome browser and, like other browser makers, it's touting the speed of its software.

Google has three channels for its Chrome browser releases: a stable channel for thoroughly tested releases; a beta channel for more frequent, less-polished releases; and a developer preview channel for even more frequent, less-stable builds. Google provides a Chrome Channel Changer application that allows users to select a Chrome distribution channel.

The new Chrome beta is designated 2.0.169.1. The last stable version, introduced on Feb. 3, is 1.0.154.48, which was also the previous beta channel version. Versions introduced between now and then have been made available on the developer channel.

Chrome is only available for Windows users at the moment.

"The best thing about this new beta is speed -- it's 25% faster on our V8 benchmark and 35% faster on the Sunspider benchmark than the current stable channel version and almost twice as fast when compared to our original beta version," says Google Chrome product manager Brian Rakowski in a blog post.