5 Must Have Google Chrome Extensions

Written by Holden Page

While Google hasn’t officially released their own repository to download extensions yet (although you can officially submit them here), third-party sites such as Chrome Extensions have a large repository of extensions ready for you to download.

While many of these extensions are next to pointless, there are a few gems that can make your Chrome browsing experience a bit more useful.

Aviary Screen Capture

Aviary, a powerful online image based editor, has released a quick and easy way to capture screenshots within Chrome instantly and edit them within a streamlined version of the Aviary image editor. You also get quick links to other Aviary products, such as Aviary Audio Editor, which we covered here. (Download extension)

Chrowety

You just can’t have a list without a Twitter app of some sort included. Chrowety is a streamlined, convenient and surprisingly intuitive Twitter client. While it doesn’t have all the features more advanced Twitter clients such as Seesmic Web, if you’re looking for quick and dirty tweeting without all the wait, you got it with Chrowety. (Download Extension)

Feedly

One of the most popular Firefox extensions, and beloved by many RSS consumers is Feedly.

Feedly turns your Google Reader into a magazine like start page. While I am not an avid user of Feedly, I know of many who swear by it. Some of them are so rabid about Feedly that they refuse to move from Firefox until a Chrome extension is available. Talk about a dedicated user.

Well now they can see the light. Feedly has now officially released a Chrome extension that will give you all the greatness of the magazine style reader you have come to expect. Time to move to the faster side of browsing my Feedly friends. (Download Extension)

Chrome Reader

It has always puzzled me why Google does not integrate their own superior RSS reader, Google Reader, into Chrome. Until that day comes though, Chrome Reader will have to suffice.

When Chromes discovers an RSS feed, simply click on the RSS icon in the URL bar and that feed will automatically be subscribed to in Google Reader instead of opening a web page full of XML. Chrome Reader also allows you to add your new subscriptions into folders within the extension. (Download Extension).

Dotspots

Dotspots is an annotation service that we recently wrote about here. Using the Chrome extension, you can add annotations to any content based web page by simply highlighting a paragraph. You can also see and edit other users annotations (also known as Dots). While the extension requires you have an account through DotSpots, it is a powerful extension that can potentially add a lot of value. To download sign-up for an account.

While I am sure there are plenty of other extensions just as useful, if not more useful than the ones listed above, you can be sure that Chrome extensions will start seeing some serious advances in the near future. Keep in mind, these Chrome Extensions are not officially backed by Google and can break. While I have not personally ran into problems with any of the extensions listed above, I am sure some people have.

Make sure if you think there are any Chrome extensions worthy of a future “must have” list you leave them in the comments.

Bonus! Google Images: Spot the difference

 Print This Article