In a word: responsive.
Google Chrome is pretty slick. Built on top of WebKit with independent processes, it seems to be pretty reliable. I’ve run it pretty hard over the last day and a half in an attempt to break it, taking it to sites that have caused me issues in the past. Nary a problem.
The Chrome Task Manager is a good idea that’s long overdue. Being able to determine how much memory each web application takes up is extremely handy information. Some have suggested that from a developer angle, the best bet is to utilize WebKit. While that’s not a bad idea, testing in the application that end users are likely to use just makes sense.
Of course, plug-ins and extensions aren’t available, so applications like LogMeIn, AdBlock, and Better Gmail 2 don’t work with it right now… this will slow down mainstream adoption a bit. I’m sure that won’t last long, though. The fact that Google Gears is included right out of the box is also telling.
The trend over the past few years obviously is to move towards web-based applications that are rich with features and responsiveness thanks to repackaged technologies such as Ajax, JSON, etc. Expect Google Chrome to quickly move to the forefront of application delivery, as Google has a vested interest in ensuring web applications are working smoothly.