I’ve been using Google Chrome as my primary browser for quite some time now. I especially like that the address bar is also the search box. Dozens if not hundreds of times a day I Cmd-Tab to Chrome, Cmd-T to open a new tab, and type in a search term to look something up. Not having to move the insertion point to a separate search field is fabulous.
I’ve slowly added new extension to Chrome to improve its usefulness to me. Here is the current set I’m using.
##Web Developer
Web Developer is the official port of the Firefox Web Developer extension. I don’t use it much, but there are times that it is invaluable.
##1Password
1Password is my password manager of choice. The extension allows me to access secure sites with a simple shortcut.
##Clip to Evernote
The Evernote extension allows me to capture URLs, clip portions of, or entire web pages. I used to clutter my bookmarks with things I didn’t want to lose track of, and now all that stuff goes into Evernote.
##Xmarks Synchronizer
I’m relatively new to using Xmarks. I was using Chrome’s internal synchronization feature but increasingly the syncs weren’t happening so I switched. The added bonus is synchronization across browsers, so Safari on my Mac is up-to-date and, through iCloud, my iPad and iPhone as well.
##Tabs Counter
Other than being nerdy, Tabs Counter is useless. Still, it is nice to know how many tabs are open at any one time.
##Ghostery
The newest of my extensions, Ghostery shows the tracking services embedded in the current page.