Well, I never thought the day would come when I make a definitive move from my long-time beloved browser, Firefox, to something new for my everyday Internet needs. But that day has finally come.
Google Chrome Beta for Mac
With the recent official Beta release of Google’s “Chrome” browser, I was quite excited to get my hands on the lightning quick browser that starts up without delay, is minimal in its appearance, and provides a really intuitive tabbed interface.
There was just a couple of things missing, however, that prevented me from making the switch 100% to Google’s offering. For starters there was no Xmarks plugin allowing me to sync my bookmarks with all the other browsers I use for website development testing (Mac) and at work (PC) and I was also lacking small aesthetic features that I consider important, such as thumbnail previews in Google searches etc.
Google Chrome Extensions Gallery
Well that all changed this evening too! I finally found (not sure why it took me so long) the Google Chrome Extension Gallery and have spent the best part of the last hour wading through 30+ pages of extensions trialling a bunch and settling on approximately 10 great extensions that I think you should ALL take a look at for enhancing your Chrome experience.
NOTE: Before I tackle the list, I’m sure a bunch of you are asking how I managed to install extensions on Google Chrome Beta for Mac when extensions are not yet supported? Well, Mac users, for the time being, need to download and install the developer version of Chrome, called “Chromium” which you can get here.
- Xmarks for Chrome Beta
Was top of my “must-have” list for an everyday browser, so this awesome tool obviously makes the list. - Xmarks Thumbnails
This one adds site thumbnails next to Google search results. - Webmynd
In Google Search adds a right hand column of collapsable results from other sources such as YouTube etc. - Del.icio.us Tools
A single click button vital for Delicious users. - AniWeather
One-click weather forecast. Simple. Needed. - Google Mail Checker Plus
The best Gmail notifier I could find. View and delete emails directly from the preview window. - Speed Dial
Just like the awesome Firefox version. A real time saver for regularly used sites. - Mini Google Maps
I use maps a lot… so this is a dream! - Chromed Bird
A great in-browser Twitter client. Monitor and post to your Twitter account while you browse. - Fittr Flickr
Provides one click full image preview and EXIF data within Flickr. LOVE IT!
So there you go, just a few to get you started.
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