RockMelt, unveiled yesterday, touts itself as a social browser “designed around you and how you use the Web.” And it might be the future — but the future, in this case, isn’t now.

1. You have to “log in” via Facebook to use the browser (see #2), which is designed to make your data portable and your usage seamless. Okay, but I can already access my social graph and more via Chrome or any other browser–not to mention TweetDeck (see #3).

2. RockMelt is built around Facebook. It’s the way you log in, request a beta invite, and issue invitations to your friends. A list of your friends populates the left-hand corner. The problem for me is that Facebook isn’t the center of my online network. I think RockMelt might be a lot more valuable if it let me pick my primary network.

3. I’m used to streams, and RockMelt’s interface feels static in comparison to the dashboard, real-time model I’m grown accustomed to with TweetDeck. Plus I can now pull in multiple streams and platforms at once (including Facebook and LinkedIn).

On its blog, RockMelt calls its product “still a baby… but we’re most excited about what it will grow into.” I think RockMelt may well be onto something, so I’m going to keep an eye on it. But, for now, I’ll access my social graph elsewhere. Meanwhile, Robert Scoble has an interesting analysis over on his blog.

Have you tested RockMelt. If so, what are your first impressions?

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Google’s new browser proves the power of the brand: it has received instant attention and was in short-order downloaded over one million times. Plus the blogosphere’s been buzzing with a mix of browser reviews and discussions about Google’s business strategy.

But is Chrome a good browser? It installs and loads quickly, but there’s nothing there to give me that WOW factor. But maybe that doesn’t matter–at least for now. Google’s accomplished key business goals already with Chrome: 1) media attention; 2) user interest; 3) a new platform for innovation for both Google products and other applications. That seems like a pretty good week to me.

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©2012 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.