Depending on which Web metrics firm you believe, Google Chrome either surpassed Mozilla
Firefox in worldwide browser market share in late 2012, picking up the number two spot behind Microsoft's IE. Either way, it's clear that Chrome's star is rising.Here are 10 more essential add-ons, many exclusive to Chrome, that will please everyone from procrastinators to productivity buffs.
When it comes to productivity, you are often your own worst enemy. StayFocusd can help. It lets you set a daily time limit for browsing time-wasting websites of your choosing; once your allotted time is up, the sites are blocked until the following day. You may be able to slip Facebook sessions past your boss, but StayFocusd's all-seeing eye can be disabled only by uninstalling the add-on, making this a nearly foolproof way to remain on task
Revisionists, rejoice! The Aviary add-on lets you edit images right in your browser without being rerouted to another site or program.
When you're browsing, just right-click an image and choose Edit Image in Aviary from the context menu. Up pops the image in a simple widget that lets you adjust colors, crop, rotate, eliminate red-eye, add silly "stickers" and more, then save it to your desktop.
Never worry about finding websites from a previous browsing session again. Session Manager saves entire browser sessions in their current state, allowing you to revisit a series of websites accessed on a previous date, exactly as they were when you first clicked on them
Running out the door is a lot less stressful when you pair your Android smartphone with Google's Chrome to Phone or your iPhone with myPhoneDesktop's Chrome to iPhone (shown at left). Both send links, images, phone numbers and other important information right to your smartphone when you click on an in-browser button. With push notifications, the ability to set default actions for different data types and multiple handset support, they help streamline your digital life.
Taskforce turns your Gmail inbox into a productivity nerve center for your digital life. The add-on converts emails into tasks, schedules those tasks and shares them with others, even if they don't use Taskforce. And it does all of that without forcing you to leave your inbox
Productivity tools with oodles of features work well for advanced taskmasters. But the rest of us may be better served by simple add-ons that actually encourage us to get things done
AddThis is your one-stop shop for all things sharing. Click the in-browser AddThis button and you'll be able to broadcast content to over 300 different Web services. That simple browser button lets you tweet, share or email links without the hassle of switching between pages
FastestChrome, a Chrome version of the popular FastestFox Firefox extension, is like steroids for your browser. Although it doesn't actually load pages faster, the add-on's numerous features make browsing faster overall. For instance, it automatically loads the next page of a website for minimal interruption while reading, and when you highlight a word or phrase on the page, its definition appears in a pop-up
Multitaskers, meet your new best friend. Install SpeakIt!, highlight on-screen text on a non-encrypted Web page and click the SpeakIt! toolbar button to hear the text read aloud to you while you get work done. It's the perfect way to listen to the latest celebrity updates from TMZ while, you know, doing important things. It's also a great add-on for eye-strained Web users in need of relief
Good things come in small packages. With one click, the Up add-on sends users up one level in the currently loaded URL. It'll also display the path list back to the original website, making navigation among multiple URL levels quick and easy.