7 Google Chrome Features That Rock
Posted on 30. Dec, 2008 by DavidPierce in Browsers
Google, the king of everything, recently released a Web browser called Chrome. It’s young, but rapidly improving, and is quickly becoming the first browser I open on a regular basis.
Even though it’s out of beta officially, Google is still in the early stages of the building of Chrome. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and forgo the “what I wish Chrome had” post. Instead, I’m going to focus on the things Chrome does so well that I’m willing to forget all the downsides, and still use it.
This is both a pro-Chrome list, and a wish list for other browsers (cough FIREFOX cough), features that would send me back to my old browsers.
Here are seven things I love about Chrome, and that I wish Firefox would adopt:
1. Google Gears Integration
Google Gears is a browser plugin that allows you to continue to use certain applications offline. It syncs to your computer, and then syncs back to the Web once you’re connected to the Web again. In these apps, you’ll ideally never notice whether or not you’re online. Right out of the box, Chrome comes with Google Gears support. That means applications like Google Reader, Remember the Milk, Zoho and others can be accessed offline. Nothing to install, no bugs- it just works, right away.
2. Application Shortcuts
My Gmail page is open constantly. Instead of having it open in a browser, and having it get lost among the abyss of tabs I have open, I can have it in its own window thanks to Chrome. On any given website in Chrome, click the paper-looking thing in the top right corner, and select “Create Application Shortcuts…”
This will allow you to have a shortcut to that particular application that opens in its own window, without bookmarks or an address bar, and will work and feel just like a desktop app. If there are one or many applications you have perma-opened, this is a must-use.
3. One tab, One Process
Every tab you open in Chrome is a different process on your operating system. That means that if one tab fails (as is apt to happen with any browser) you can kill that particular one without having to close and reopen Chrome. With each tab as a standalone application (at least as your OS sees it), you can manage them more easily.
4. New Tabs
Whenever you open a new tab, Chrome presents you with the glorious “New Tab” page. This page has the nine websites you visit most often, as well as a list of recent bookmarks and recently closed tabs. My favorite part, though- a search bar for searching through your browsing history. Every time you open a new tab, your browsing life is there in front of your eyes- a huge time saver if you visit the same websites frequently.
5. Your Own Private P.I.
I mentioned this already, but it merits its own point. Being able to search through your history prevents you from having to dig through mass piles of random sites all beginning with “http://www.google.com…” just to find the one you wanted. Just search for keywords or phrases, and go back in time more easily than ever.
6. Better Download Manager
In Firefox, I have two primary issues with downloads. One, there’s often no telling where they go, or what they’re going to be called- my downloads often get arbitrarily named bizarre things. Also, any time I try to download something, it pops up a new window to show me the “Downloads Manager.” In Chrome, it couldn’t be easier. You click download, it opens up a small toolbar at the bottom of the tab showing me how much time is left, and an icon for it. One more click opens the file. It’s too easy.
7. One Box Search
In Firefox, there are two white bars: one’s the address bar, one’s the search bar. In Chrome, they’re all rolled into one. Type “Monkeys” into the Chrome address bar and press Enter, and you’ll get a Google search for monkeys. You’ll also get suggestions for searches like “monkeys as pets,” and links to any sites in your history with mentions of monkeys. The Chrome bar is powerful, easy to use, and much better than the Firefox Awesome Bar. Not to mention better named.
In Firefox and others, many of these features can be replicated with an extension or plugin. But with Chrome, they come right out of the box. No kinks, no problems, no slow start-up times- they just work. I still use Firefox every day (in fact, I’m in it right now), but Chrome is rapidly climbing the charts as my browser of choice.
Do you use Chrome? Why or why not?
David Pierce is a college student, Ultimate Frisbee player, and tech geek. He loves to watch movies, play golf in thunderstorms, and break stuff to figure out how to put it back together. In addition to writing for Lost in Technology, he writes his blog, The 2.0 Life, about how to make the most out of a digital world. In addition, you can follow him on Twitter , or just send him an email.
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