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Posts Tagged ‘google chrome’

Time-Saving Business Apps for Google Chrome

December 30th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Business | No Comments »

I’m a big proponent of Google Chrome. It’s speedy. It’s efficient. And, I know it like the back of my hand.

While it still has a lot of catching up to do with Internet Explorer and Firefox, Google Chrome’s popularity is growing – and fast.

That said, I would bet big bucks that more businesses start using Chrome in 2011. Not all of the bells and whistles are there yet, but Chrome sure has a lot to offer. Take the Chrome Web Store for instance. The marketplace just opened, and it offers dozens and dozens of applications and extensions to suit your every need – and whim.

And, for the businesses, Chrome is teeming with some great, FREE business apps. Here are a few featured in PC World’s Business Center.

- Rainmaker

Rainmaker is able to automagically pull information about people in your Gmail address book from the web, Twitter, Linked In, and Facebook. This information includes mugshots, addresses, phone numbers, and Internet details.

- Springpad

The best way to describe Springpad is as a supercharged notebook and To Do list maker. Because it’s a cloud application, your data can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and the app is built around HTML5 so will work on the majority of modern browsers, phones and smartpads too.

- Simplebooklet

Simplebooklet is actually an online presentations tool. It fills a blindingly obvious gap in the market: creating presentations that can be viewed within a browser, and accessed via a simple URL that you share with others.

- World Time Planner

World Time Planner is a simple app that lets you click and drag a slider to see what the time will be in various cities over the next 24 hours. Daytime and nighttime symbols appear alongside each city to indicate at a glance when the working day starts and finishes.

Sure, Chrome’s apps pale in comparison to the other apps available on other browsers and operating systems. But it’s making strides. And, quite frankly, I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has tried Chrome and didn’t stick with it.

Just like with a Mac, you won’t go back.

 Tags: business apps, chrome apps, chrome web store, google chrome, pc world

I Love Google Chrome and Here’s Why

July 7th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

Google Chrome.

I use it … and so should the rest of the Internet-using world.

Why, you ask?

Well, speed for one. The browser is super fast. No dinking around waiting for a page to load, like you would on other browsers (ah hem, Internet Explorer).

Second, I like Chrome’s architecture. It’s different.  For instance, when you close a tab, you are virtually terminating a process. This is good because if you corrupt the tab’s memspace then you will crash only that particular process. The browser and all other tabs should continue working just fine like nothing ever has happened.

Third, I love Chrome’s privacy feature. You can literally browse incognito. Just switch into incognito mode and nothing – I mean nothing – gets logged.

Fourth, with Chrome you can get anywhere on the Web with one box. The address bar that sits at the top of the normal Google Chrome window simplifies your Internet experience by doubling as a search box. Simply setup the browser to default to your favorite search engine and viola – you’re in business.

Fifth – and lastly – I think Chrome’s extensions are terrific. There are a number of popular extensions designed to make your Internet experience more interesting.  Ultimate Chrome Flag is one, for example, that displays a country or region name, Geo, Google PageRank, Alexa Rank and WOT info for the websites you’re visiting. WOT and the Web2PDFConverter are also pretty cool. For Internet dawdlers, there two extensions worth noting: StayFocused and Chrome Nanny. Both work like any other digital nanny in that they will block sites you DON’T want to visit – or sites you inadvertently spend too much time on (ah hem, Facebook). All of these extensions are FREE and worth every second it takes to download and install them.

Sure, I’ll be honest. Chrome isn’t the end-all-be-all of Internet browsers. It has its flaws. BUT it’s still in its BETA phase. It has room to grow.

I guess it all boils down to preference. And today, I prefer to tell you that if you haven’t started using Google Chrome yet – at least check it out. Once you go Chrome, you probably won’t go back.

Did I mention that Chrome can run Web pages and applications on a Mac too?

 Tags: chrome extensions, chrome incognito, chrome's privacy feature, digital nanny, google chrome

Google Chrome: No Shine For Small Business

September 17th, 2009 by Erin Posted in Small Business, Technology | No Comments »

Google Chrome.

The browser everyone was super duper excited about a little more than a year ago – appears to be sitting stagnant.

Sure, its third iteration was just released – but as a devoted Chrome user, I see no improvement in its functionality.

It appears small business owners aren’t getting any sparks from Chrome either.

In fact, small business owners are being warned to steer clear of Chrome altogether.

Sure, it has speed that far surpasses the likes of competitors Firefox and Internet Explorer, but it lacks what small business owners really need: compatibility.

Certain advanced web applications (Microsoft)  simply don’t work with Chrome - and the browser’s sparse user base only compounds the problem. Web developers are not designing apps with Chrome in mind.

Nevertheless, Google has made strides in trying to maintain Chrome’s edge, adding improved Javascript performance and HTML 5 support.

Can Chrome eventually cut it in the small business world?

Perhaps, but it has a lot of catching up to do.

I’m a big proponent of Chrome because of its small user base . I can browse quicker and surf safer – but I sure get annoyed when it can’t support a simple app.

It might be fledging, but we shouldn’t lose hope in Chrome. After all, it was developed by the world’s search giant.

And think of the alternative – Internet Explorer.

 Tags: browser compatibility, google chrome, Small Business, web applications