Google Chrome Extensions

As some of you may know, I’m a heavy Google Chrome user. It is my default browser, ever since I left Internet Explorer in the dust a long time ago. Here is my browser progression. Went from IE to Firefox, then found Flock and started using that heavily. Along the same time, I also experimented a bit with Avant and Maxthon, as well as Safari. When Google Chrome came out, I started using it mainly because I got fed up with the Firefox load times. Even though I tweaked with the configuration, I couldn’t rely on it’s speed. Although I still have it on my computer, I haven’t touched it in a long time.

I had my doubts about Chrome when I first started. That was mainly because it was barely customizable and too simplistic for my needs. Then I realized that in a browser, simplicity may be the best way to go. Without all my add-ons, I felt lost at first, but I readily adapted to it. If you’ve switched to chrome, you’ll know what I mean. Sure, there are a few bugs here and there, but it works and is still under development. I’ve recently switched over to the developers build and started using some of the awesome extensions. Let me tell you right now, they are well worth it. You can find all of the extensions at Chromeextensions.org. Once you switch, you’ll never want to go back. Some sites are still not suited for Chrome, but that’s one out of many. When worst comes to worst, you can always switch back to your original browser.

Here are three extensions I found that I’ve been using most often:

1) Alwitt’s Facebook Enhancer: If you use Facebook (which I am betting that you do), you’ll want to grab chrome and install this extension. It has made navigating Facebook a lot less troublesome and increases your efficiency. Below is a picture of what you should expect to find. My favorite feature is pop-up images when you roll over them.

2) YouTube Playback 1.1: I’m also a heavy YouTube user. YouTube meets my everyday entertainment needs. This simple extension allows you to pause and play any YouTube video you have from another tab. That means you can have a video playing, open a new tab for some other business and still have the audio blaring. When you need to pause the YouTube video, just hit the pause button located conveniently in any of your open tabs. Works like a charm. Props.

3) Gmail Checker: Use Gmail? You might want to check this extension out. It places an icon on your Chrome toolbar which notifies you when you have new mail. When you click the icon, it’ll give you a drop down list of your new unread mail: sender, subject, and brief summary. It’s really useful. Want to read your unread mail? Just click on it and it’ll open a new tab with the message you selected. Awesome!