The best Chrome extensions and Chromebook apps 2014
Updated: Pimp out your Google browser or Chromebook with these nifty add-ons
1/31
Turn Off The Lights
Turn Off The Lights transforms your casual Youtube videos viewings into jaw-dropping cinema screenings – sort of. One click will shade the page and start the matinee and another returns it back to normal. It's that easy.
2/31
365Scores
You can't watch the match but you want to be updated on the score in real time? 365Scores sends you a in-game notifications from football matches of your choice.
3/31
TLDR
TLDR is a clever extension, creating a summary of any web article you don't have time to read fully. It allows you to choose between four different summary lengths, depending on the time you have.
4/31
Facebook Unseen
Let's be honest, we've all wished we could just ignore a Facebook message or just reply later without incur the wrath of our friends. Facebook Unseen blocks read receipts from being sent and gives you time to reply at a more convenient time.
5/31
StumbleUpon
One click of the stumble button opens up hours of procrastination. StumbleUpon takes you the best images, videos and web pages available based on your personal interests. With over 200 million random web pages to stumble through each time is an adventure.
6/31
Scribe Fire
One for the bloggers. This full-featured blog extension integrates with your browser and allows quick and easy blog posting. Allows you to edit, delete and update posts from your browser and is compatible with most popular blogging sites such as Blogger and Wordpress.
7/31
LastPass
Online security is a big worry, but remembering all your different passwords can also be difficult. Last Pass stores all your passwords and log-in details and signs you into sites automatically. Your information and passwords are encrypted and decrypted locally on your computer to keep it safe and LastPass cannot access your information.
8/31
Haver Zoom
Another cryptic name to get your head around. Hover the mouse over image thumbnails to view them in their full size without clicking or loading a new page. Compatible with most sites such as Facebook and Amazon and large pictures are automatically resized to fit the page. Grandma might like this.
9/31
Google Dictionary
Pretty self explanatory- An online dictionary from Google. Double click on any word while browsing the web and a definition pops up in a little bubble. Supports dictionaries in a variety of languages and foreign words are automatically translated to your language of choice. Helpful.
10/31
Bugmenot Lite
No more having to create accounts just to access articles or web pages. Bugmenot Lite allows users to quickly bypass the login of websites that require compulsory registration or personal information. One click and login forms and autofilled with anonymous information.
11/31
PanicButton
Let's be honest, you shouldn't be looking at that at work! Avoid getting caught by installing the PanicButton extension to Chrome, one click and all your tabs are hidden. Hidden tabs are saved in a separate folder and can be restored with another click of the button.
12/31
Ginger
An online spelling and grammar checker extension. Ginger proofreads your typing and cleans up your mistakes with a simple click. This could do the internet a lot of good.
13/31
Awesopme New Tab Page
Customize your new tab page with this stylish Chrome add-on. Add, remove and re-arrange widget tiles, apps and web pages to suit you and optimise your web browsing. Kinda like Windows 8 for your browser.
14/31
The Great Suspender
A handy Chrome extension which effectively unloads and kills the mountain of tabs you've built up to reduce Chromes demand on your computer. Tabs are left up in the browser and are still retained after closing and reopening chrome. Click anywhere on the page to restore a tab.
15/31
Add to Amazon Wish List
Feverishly building your list for Santa? This extension simplifies the whole process, making it easy to add any item from Amazon to your Wish List. You can even add an extra comment – quietly reminding your mum that you will not be happy unless you get a PS4 for Christmas.
16/31
Evernote Clipper
Evernote is a great tool for creating a digital scrapbook of content – be it pictures, videos or just text. This handy extension clips parts of a website and then lets you add tags and pop it in one of your notebooks. Pure online efficiency.
17/31
Any.DO
Any.DO's iOS and Android apps are swish, well thought out and easy-to-use list creators, ensuring you never forgot milk when you next head to Tesco. Now it's even easier to add tasks and keep up-to-date with what the day holds, thanks to this extension.
18/31
Feedly
Since the death of Google Reader, its cult-like followers have been clamouring for a replacement service. It seems that Feedly is the pick the bunch, showing all your daily news in a simple and good-looking manner. This extension lets you easily add RSS feeds into the service, meaning you'll always be bang up-to-date with all the current-affairs.
19/31
Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot makes it really easy to capture an image of the current site you're on, then letting you annotate over the top of it, adding in all sorts of useful (or useless) information. There are plenty of options to choose from, plus you can easily share your finalised creations.
20/31
Buffer
Posting on Facebook and Twitter can be a great way to ensure lots of people read your content and see your witty tweets. However there is nothing worse than someone who tweets 15 links in five minutes. Buffer is a great way to spread your posts out, say one an hour, while also letting you plan them out in one go, leaving you with much more free time. Which will inevitably be spent scrolling through your Twitter timeline.
21/31
Come across an interesting read online? But don't have time to read it right away? This handy extension allows you to easily add an article to your Pocket queue for reading at a far more convenient time.
22/31
Carbon Footprint for Google Maps
Often find yourself deciding not to drive to work in the hope of lowering your carbon footprint? This extension calculates the estimated amount of co2 emissions given off on a selected route through Google Maps.
23/31
Web Timer
Feel you spend too much time online and not enough enjoying the fresh air of the real-world? Nope, us neither, but it's still interesting to see how long we stare into cyber-space for. This extension tracks your time on the World Wide Web, dividing it down into precise minutes for each site you visit.
24/31
Currently
Currently replaces your new tab screen with a bright, good-looking overview of today's weather, along with the current time, down to the second.
25/31
Android Desktop Notifications
This extension pops-up a little notification in your browser every time you receive one on your phone, making it a tad easier to go an hour without glancing down at your HTC One.
26/31
GMail Offline
A pretty self-explanatory extension, GMail Offline literally makes all your Google Mail content available when you're sans connection. This is great if you need to check back over some dates and vital information on the go, but obviously you won't be able to send any new messages until you reconnect. Duh.
27/31
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is a very clever service, with a deep knowledge in everything from maths to food – and now it's available with a click. Simply press the button in your status bar and the world's knowledge is in your hands.
28/31
Google +1 Button
Google+ may not be as popular as other social networks, yet it still has some avid fans. It's now even easier to '+1' something thanks to this extension, which also lets you easily share the content with others.
29/31
AdBlock Plus
Not just for blocking pesky pop-ups and overriding flash ads, AdBlock Plus helps you stay more private online by decreasing the amount of personal data you send out.
30/31
Auto HD for YouTube
Love watching YouTube in crisp HD, yet get a little annoyed every time you have to manually select it? Thanks to this handy add-on all your videos will start in glorious 720p or 1080p automatically.
31/31
Silver Bird
Silver Bird gives you full access to your Twitter feed, without navigating away from the site you're currently on. You can check on your mentions, see what's trending and even upload a picture.
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