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Filed under: Features, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Google, Browsers, Lists

15+ great Google Chrome extensions

WindowsMacLinuxby Lee Mathews Nov 2nd 2009

We've already mentioned other ways to power up Google Chrome. Before extensions arrived on the developer channel, Userscripts and bookmarklets were your only options. Both are still great ways to add some kick-ass functionality to Chrome. If you're running the stable or beta builds, you may want to stick to them for now.
Now, onto the extensions!

If you have a favorite that I left off, feel free to share it in the comments!
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Tags: add-ons, bookmarklets, browser, browsers, chrome-4, chromium, developer-channel, extensions, features, google chrome, google-chrome, GoogleChrome, lists, productivity, UserScripts, utilities

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Filed under: Security, Beta, Browsers

Web of Trust (WOT) extension now available for Google Chrome

by Lee Mathews Oct 8th 2009

It's starting, people. Big name browser addon developers are starting to show Google Chrome some love. So far, we've seen AdSweep, RoboForm, LastPass (a personal favorite), and a few others.

Web of Trust is now onboard as well, announcing the release of their extension today. I've written about WOT before -- it's a great addition for anyone wanting a bit of added security and safety when they browse. It's listed in my 6 Windows tools to prevent PC problems on your own and 14 useful Firefox addons.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with WOT, it's a kind of community-powered rating service. Users submit trust, privacy, reliability, and child safety scores for sites they visit. When you browse a site that's in the WOT database, you'll see the result of those ratings in easy-to-understand color coding. Green is good, red is bad, yellow means exercise caution.

If you happen on a particularly bad site, WOT will block it completely and display an alert page instead and give you the choice to bail out or disregard the warning and continue.

The WOT .crx extension for Chrome can be downloaded from the Wiki, though it's a bit hidden in all the text. Here's a direct download link to make things easier for you. Like other recent extensions, you'll need to be running Chrome's developer channel build to use WOT.

Tags: crx, extensions, google-chrome, privacy, ratings, security, trust, web-of-trust, web-safety, wot

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Google explains what a web browser is, treats you a bit like an idiot

by Brad Linder Oct 7th 2009

Google's been pushing its Chrome browser for a while now, and there's no question that it's one of the fastest, simplest web browsers around, if you're a Windows user anyway. But it doesn't have all of the features you'd expect from a fuller fledged browser like Firefox yet, such as stable support for plugins and extensions. And most importantly, it doesn't come bundled with most computers, like Internet Explorer.

Earlier this year Google put together a little video demonstrating that many people don't just not care what browser they use... they might not even know what a browser is. So what's the next step?Telling the world exactly what a browser is.

So Google has put together a followup video that explains that the thing you type web addresses into isn't called the computer or the internet. It's a web browser. And it's "the most important piece of software on your computer" because it handles all web pages. Of course, if you don't actually use your computer for web surfing, the browser might not be that important. But then you're probably living in 1992 and most modern browsers won't run on your machine anyway.

Google has also launched a new What Browser web site to help explain what a browser is, what other browsers are available, and sure, how to download, install, and Tweak Google Chrome. But I can't help but wonder who exactly Google is targeting with this overly-simplistic campaign. Because if you don't even know what a browser is, the odds of you coming across this video explaining it are probably slim to none.

Tags: google, google-chrome, web-browsers

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Google adds tons of new designs to Chrome theme gallery

by Lee Mathews Oct 5th 2009


If you weren't totally enthused with the themes Google themselves produced for Chrome, I've got some good news for you.

Just added to the Chrome themes directory is a whole new tab featuring designs created by artists and designers - like Mark Ecko (pictured), Anita Kunz, and Todd Oldham. There are several really slick themes, and you're at least more likely to find one you like now due to the increased number of options.

Also featured are some favorites from iGoogle's options like Pocoyo and Super Monkey Ball.

Have a look at the new themes, and feel free to share your favorites in the comments!

Tags: artists, customization, google-chrome, skins, themes, theming

Filed under: Google, Open Source, Beta, Browsers

Chrome gets a real extension manager in dev channel build

by Lee Mathews Sep 30th 2009


While it's not quite as "pretty" as the add-on manager built in to Firefox, at least it's there. Yes, Google Chrome has a built-in extension manager - for those of you running the developer channel build.

To access the page, just head to the wrench menu or type chrome://extensions in the omnibar and hit enter. Chrome (or Chromium) will display a list of all your installed extensions (yes, LastPass an alpha out for testing and you can read about it here on Download Squad). Any extension can be disabled, uninstalled, or reloaded (presumably in the event one decides to crash like a Sea King helicopter).

It's definitely nice to see a full-featured extension interface appear in Chrome. Now all we have to do is wait for developers to port over some of our favorite Firefox add-ons - or create some killer new ones.

Tags: chrome, chromium, crx, dev-channel, developer, extensions, google, google-chrome

Filed under: Security, Google, Beta, Browsers

LastPass extension for Google Chrome now available, and it rocks

by Lee Mathews Sep 30th 2009

A number of Download Squad readers have been echoing the same sentiment in recent posts about Google's browser: as soon as LastPass is available, we're leaving Firefox for good.

Well, gang, grab your parachutes, it's time to bail! The LastPass crew has released an alpha version of their Google Chrome extension, and it rocks. Check out the screens after the break!

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Tags: 1password, add-ons, chrome, chromium, extensions, google, google-chrome, lastpass, password, password-manager, roboform

Filed under: Windows, Google, Beta, Browsers

RoboForm now available for Google Chrome, sort of

Windowsby Lee Mathews Sep 25th 2009


While it may not be the seamless solution you've been looking for, if you're a RoboForm user and have been waiting for Google Chrome integration, there's now a solution for you.

RoboForm have created a customized Chromium installer which adds a floating toolbar below the Chrome browser window. Getting set up requires two installs.

First, you'll need to load RoboForm itself (if you haven't already, of course). Next, download the RoboForm for Chromium executable from RoboForm's website. Once you've removed other Chromium instances, run the setup and launch the custom build.

A note on the download page offers this reassurance: "When Google finalizes their public extensions framework, we will make every effort to ensure that RoboForm will work for Google Chrome within a very short time."

In the meantime, RoboForm for Chromium works, even if it does look -- err -- a little different.

Tags: chromium, form-filler, google-chrome, password-manager, roboform

Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Browsers

Google unveils Chrome OS preview video? Update: Nope

by Brad Linder Sep 24th 2009


Ever since Google announced plans to launch a new computer operating system called Chrome OS a few months, we've seen an onslaught of so-called "leaked" screenshots of the operating system. But last night the Google Chrome Browser team posted a message on Twitter linking to a Google Chrome OS preview that looks like it could be the real deal.

Update 2 (see update 1 below): OK, it's almost definitely fake. The Twitter account in question is not affiliated with Google. Nice looking fake though.

The video makes the OS look slick, polished,and definitely looks like a web-based operating system based on the Chrome Browser. The only reason I'm still a bit skeptical is because the video was uploaded in July and the Tweet doesn't say explicitly that this is the real thing.

It looks like you'll have to login to Chrome OS with your Google Account credentials. Once you're in you're presented with a browser window and a dock with links to web applications including Gmail, Google Calendar, and GTalk. There's also a program launcher which gives you access to more applications, including Skype and other programs that I'm assuming need to run from the desktop, so Chrome OS isn't all about web applications.

The video also shows a chess match, which looks like it's being played with another user through Google Wave. Google Chrome OS is designed to be run as a netbook operating systems at launch and should be available as a developer preview later this year. It could show up on mini-laptops in 2010. You can find another photo and a video after the break.

Update: CrunchGear, which spotted this story before we did, determines that the video is fake since the chess match is identical to one being played in a Google Wave promotional image. That doesn't really mean anything though. It could just be the same shot used in two promos. But the fact that the video was posed in July still gives me reason for pause.

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Tags: chrome-os, google-chrome, google-chrome-operating-system, google-chrome-os

Filed under: Mozilla, Beta, Browsers

Firefox 3.7 to replace menu bar with Chrome-like page, tools menus

by Brad Linder Sep 23rd 2009

Firefox 3.7 tools conceptA few months ago the folks at Mozilla released a mockup showing some proposed design changes for Firefox 3.7. Foremost among them was a redesigned navigation area that replaced the traditional menu bar (file, edit, view and so on) with two drop-down menus, one for Page and another for Tools. You know, kind of like Google Chrome has.

Now the Firefox team has released an updated series of mockups that look even more like Google Chrome by placing both the page and tools menus right next to the location bar. This layout saves screen real estate and lets you use a larger portion of the browser window for viewing web pages.

The new browser layout also includes a combined stop/reload button and removes the Home button from the toolbar, instead placing it in the tab area. The Windows version of the browser will also make better use of Aero Glass in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The new page/tools design will first show up in the Windows Vista and Windows 7 versions of Firefox 3.7 which is due out in March of 2010.

[via ZDNet]

Tags: firefox, firefox-3.7, google-chrome

Filed under: Google, Ask DLS, Browsers

Ask DLS: Does Google Chrome Frame tactic smell funny to anyone else?

by Lee Mathews Sep 22nd 2009

Ok, I know all the cool kids like to take shots at Internet Explorer. Heck, I'll admit it -- I've done it myself. And yes, I do prefer using Google Chrome.

But there's something I just don't like about the way Google plans to get Chrome Frame onto users' systems. Group Product Manager Mike Smith and Software Engineer Alex Russell told TechCrunch that Google "won't be explicitly advertising it." Instead, they'll use "subtle methods to alert users to its existence."

Now, the mockup above is anything but subtle. I'd assume - based on what Google has done in the past on the search page - that users will probably see a small alert in the upper-right corner.

Here's my question - why not just push Chrome? Why push an option that bolts Chrome on to Internet Explorer? TC's MG Siegler says the plugin itself is about 500Kb, but adds that it downloads about 10Mb of additional "Chrome-related data to work correctly."

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Tags: browser-wars, chrome-frame, google-chrome, sneaky, suggest

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Filed under: Fun, Games, Browsers

Play Contra, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and more in Google Chrome

by Lee Mathews Sep 17th 2009


Yes, Google, you can proudly herald this one as a major victory for your browser in my books. If other Javascript benchmarks haven't been anything you could get excited about, maybe this one will do it. Ben Firshman's Javascript NES emulator runs best in Google Chrome.

Just head on over to his site (which will likely start bogging down today as this little baby inevitably moves from Reddit to Digg), pick a game, and get ready for some early 90s video gaming excitement.

One downside: you'll have to be cool with a similarly early 90s style screen (think original Gameboy). You'll only get a viewable area of about 256x240. If size isn't a major concern for you, here's a list of the games you can play:
  • Contra
  • Donkey Kong
  • Dr. Mario
  • Golf
  • Legend of Zelda
  • Lemmings
  • Mario Bros.
  • Pac Man
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Tennis
  • Tetris
  • Tetris 2
  • Zelda II
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 (partially working)
JSNES works in other browsers, of course, but not quite as well. Firefox frame rates are generally reported to be about 1/10th or less those from Chrome. Safari (and most other Webkit browsers) should be up to the task.

[via Reddit]

Tags: emulator, games, google chrome, google-chrome, GoogleChrome, javascript, nintendo

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Google Chrome grows up, stable build gets bumped to version 3

by Lee Mathews Sep 15th 2009


Those of you who are tired of reading about all the great features Google has been packing into Chrome's beta and developer channel builds, it's time to break out the Guinness. A fortnight after Google Chrome's first birthday, Google has bumped the stable version to 3.0.195.21.

So what does that mean, exactly? The stable version now includes features like the updated new tab page, improved omnibar, and themes support. Oh yeah, there's also the Javascript performance boost -- at last check, the V8 engine's power level was well over 9,000. Or 150% better than Chrome's first beta release, anyway.

HTML5 support has also made its way into the stable channel, making it possible to take advantage of things like the <video> tag (try it out here) and <audio> and <canvas> elements. Check out Chrome Experiment #50 to see audio and canvas at work.

Bookmark syncing and extension support still aren't included - those are still reserved for the daredevilish types running the beta and developer channels.

Insert snide remark here: Three major versions in a year, huh? At this rate, Google will be pushing Google Chrome 7 by the time Mozilla ships Firefox 4 in 2010.

Tags: browsers, chromium, google chrome, google-chrome, GoogleChrome, web browser, WebBrowser

Filed under: Google, Open Source, Beta, Browsers

Extensions now enabled by default in Google Chrome dev channel, now where are they?

by Lee Mathews Sep 10th 2009


Did Google just take the next step in making extensions play a more interesting role in Google Chrome? Possibly, but at least now we can trim our command line switches down a little.
Those of you running Chrome's bleeding-edge developer channel builds can now drop the --enable-extensions switch. They're now supported by default.

Of course, that assumes you've bothered to enable them in the first place. After using Chrome almost exclusively for about a month, I found that I had amassed a nice collection of Userscripts and bookmarklets but had yet to find a truly interesting extension. XMarks is getting close, and the LastPass team is also hard at work.

New updates to the developer documents have also been published, so perhaps that will help things take off.

At any rate, it's the "first step in [the] launch process," according to Chromium developer Aaron Boodman. Next stop: the beta channel.

Aaron's blog post also indicates that the UI may change by the time the jump to beta happens. That'd be nice, because the puffy, light-blue bar at the bottom of the browser window? It's not going to win any UI beauty contests.

Tags: add-ons, chromium, dev channel, DevChannel, extensions, google-chrome

Filed under: Google, Browsers

Sony to ship computers with Google Chrome as default browser

by Brad Linder Sep 1st 2009


Remember how we all kind of laughed when Google removed the "beta" label from the Google Chrome web browser after just a few months of development? It seemed funny, given that Gmail stayed in beta for over 4 years before Google was ready for the popular email service to emerge from beta.

But it turns out there was a method to the madness. Google was working behind the scenes to convince hardware manufacturers to bundle the web browser with their computers. And it's kind of tricky to do that when your software is in beta, implying that it's unfinished or unstable.

Now about 9 months after Chrome emerged from beta, the Financial Times is reporting that Sony and Google have reached a deal to bundle the browser with Sony computers. Sony Vaio computers are already shipping with Chrome loaded as the default web browser, and Google says it's working on similar deals with other PC vendors.

The deal could help boost the number of people using the web browser. After all, if we've learned one thing by the success of Internet Explorer, it's that most people will probably just use whatever web browser comes with their computer. Google also produced a video earlier this year (shown above) that shows that a heck of a lot of people don't really understand what exactly a browser is, which kind of suggests that there are a lot of people who aren't going to be changing the default browser on their computers anytime soon.

Tags: google-chrome, sony

Filed under: Google, Browsers, Microblogging

PBtweet powers up your Twitter web experience on Google Chrome

by Lee Mathews Aug 31st 2009

Google Chrome has had Userscripts support for a long time. Unfortunately, a lot of the really great Userscripts are designed with Greasemonkey for Firefox in mind, meaning you miss out if you're using Chrome.

PBtweet, on the other hand, works just fine in webkit-based browsers like Chrome and Safari and it brings a more powerful interface to Twitter's web client.

Save that script into your User Scripts folder and activate support using the --enable-user-scripts switch, and you're ready to rock. PBtweet adds several handy features including auto-refresh, threaded replies, short URL expansion, translation, retweeting, and picture thumbnails from sites like Twitpic and Tumblr.

For a touch of eye candy, PBtweet makes use of Webkit's support for CSS3 transition effects. If you'd prefer not to monkey around with a Userscript, there's even a bookmarklet you can use to activate the features.

Not sure how to enable Userscripts in Google Chrome? Chrome Plugins spells it all out.

Tags: bookmarklets, google-chrome, marklets, pbtweet, twitter, userscripts, webkit

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