Google has promoted three major Chrome features from the beta channel to the stable build. With the latest version of Chrome, all users can take advantage of WebGL, Chrome Instant and the Chrome Web Store.

WebGL brings hardware-accelerated 3D rendering to Chrome, making for some amazing graphics that could have gaming implications in the future. Right now, you can see it in action in several impressive demos. Chrome Instant will have a bigger immediate impact on users' day-to-day browsing. It loads your frequently-visited pages as you type into the address bar. No enter key required!

For folks who love extensions, themes and Web apps, the Chrome Web Store is the most important new feature. Now that the Web Store is open to all U.S. customers, Google has added a Web Store link and a couple of demo apps to the new tab page in the latest version of Chrome. They've also assured international users that the Web Store will be expanding to other countries soon.

As always, if you run Chrome, it will download the update automatically -- but you'll need to close and re-open it for the update to be applied.

The Chrome Web Store is finally here, and many of you probably have a handful of apps installed -- if for no other reason than a little eye candy on your new tab page. If you'd prefer a way to launch your apps that offers a bit more convenience and customization, check out .

In addition to adding a handy drop-down panel from which you can launch your Chrome Apps, AppJump also allows you to create groups, which lets you categorize things for quick drill-down access -- which will be very useful once you've accumulated a few dozen apps.

One feature which is missing from AppJump is drag-to-reorder (which is also missing from the Chrome new tab page). I'd love to be able to move my apps around and sort them however I choose, but for right now you're stuck with whatever layout AppJump displays.

Now that the Chrome Web Store has launched, we should have a better understanding of what these Apps are all about, right? Well, not so much. These aren't your typical apps, after all -- so it's still a little confusing. Let's take a look at what you're actually installing.

TweetDeck, the AIR-based desktop and smartphone twitter power app has finally joined its biggest competitor, Seesmic, on the Web. The for Google's fledgling Chrome Web Store brings the best of what people loved about the desktop AIR-app to the Web, in what Iain Dodsworth, CEO of TweetDeck calls: "definitely our best version of a desktop TweetDeck so far." The Chrome app supports TweetDeck accounts for syncing of read tweets, filters and search columns, and has support for almost everything social. Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, and even Google Buzz, are present and accounted for, with Gmail support on the way.

TweetDeck for Chrome is aiming to be faster and lighter than its AIR-based cousin, which is good news for anyone who's wanted to use TweetDeck on the desktop but has been put off by the relatively large footprint the AIR app takes. It's also currently silent, but TweetDeck is looking to implement a new 'social soundscape' across all its TweetDeck products in an effort to unify the notification system -- great for knowing what's happened without having to look at your screen.

The TweetDeck Chrome app can be and installed directly into your up-to-date Chrome browser.

The rumors are true: Google's big today was all about Chrome OS. As expected, is a "nothing but the web" operating system that runs entirely on web apps, with the Chrome browser at the center of the experience. Google walked through the whole Chrome OS user experience at the event, and it really looks like a solid choice for everyday users who just want to browse, share, work and play games on the web.

Setup for Chrome OS takes less than 60 seconds. In four steps, you can create a user account that already has access to your Google Apps data, and even carries over the themes, bookmarks and other settings from your existing Chrome browser. If you close the lid of your Chrome netbook and then open it again, your system and your internet connection resume faster than you can even type a Google Search.

In terms of sharing, each user's data on a Chrome OS machine is kept totally separate, so you can let your family make their own accounts (or let a friend use guest mode, which starts an Incognito session) and nobody will see anybody else's browsing history. Meanwhile, anything you do in Chrome on any of your computers will be synced to your account on the others. That means you can install an app or delete a theme on your Mac or PC, and it'll sync to your Chrome OS netbook in a few seconds.

Back in mid-October, I mused that the Chrome Web Store might be getting ready to open its doors, but according to MediaMemo's Peter Kafka the launch isn't going to happen any time soon.

Based on his discussions with developers who are building Web apps for Chrome, prevailing sentiment is that the Chrome Web Store will now open some time in early December. While some devs remain optimistic that a mid-November launch could still happen, Google has already missed launch targets -- casting severe doubts.

Interestingly, Kafka also mentions that some developers report receiving monetary "encouragement" directly from Google -- one individual acknowledged receive a $15,000 check. The Chrome Web Store remains enough of an enigma that these delays won't adversely affect it -- but we'd sure like to get a look at it.

Here's hoping the beta launch happens before the year is out.