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Chrome apps
Today we have made an important change to the chrome-plugins.org website. Due to the upcoming release of the Chromebook, we anticipate arising importance of browser apps, especially for Google Chrome users and have therefore decided to extend our definition of plugins to apps as well. Next to addons, extensions and themes we will be reviewing apllications as well.
Web apps are different to extensions as they are not just an addition to the functionality or looks of the browser, they often provide features just like a desktop-software. For more information, please read the definition of apps in our tutorial page. For now we have only reviewed the TweetDeck app but there are many more to follow shortly in the apps category. In the meantime, we recommend this article on mashable.com that introduces ten Chrome Web Apps that are worth checking out. Enjoy!
Malicious Plugins
We all love plugins, extensions and themes for Chrome, don’t we? They make not only have the ability to make our browser more beautiful and functional, they are also a potential risk as they might violate your privacy or can execute other malicious code on your system. The have been many allegations that Google is not paying enough attention to security issues in the past, now it looks like they have taken action for the first time.
As reported by theregister.co.uk, Google has banned two apps from the Chrome Webstore this morning. The two extensions that were quietly removed from the store were “Super Mario World” and “Super Mario World 2″. They are not only potentially violating Nintendo’s trademarks, they are also spying on the users data. There is a standard warning displayed to the users of many extensions, the ability to spy on user data is possible to many extensions – especially the ones that modify web-pages (for example by blocking the ads on them). But the ability to access users data has so far not lead to actual invasions of the users privacy. Until now.
The removal of the two apps by Google shows that there will hopefully a better security in the Chrome Webstore. However, it also shows that insufficient security has been going on for too long. In its attempt to catch up with Mozilla, Google has neglected these issues and who knows how many users have become victims to the developers of fraudulent extensions.
Writing a Chrome extension
We all love the extensions for Google Chrome. And while using Chrome, I am sure many of you have had several ideas for a great addon that would improve the browsing experience. Many problems can be solved with existing plugins and new ones are created everyday. But wouldn’t it be great to be able to create one yourself? It is not that hard and you can learn how.
In a blog post at roachfiend.com you can find a guideline how to learn writing your own extension for Google Chrome. At first you should become familiar with the “Getting started” tutorial provided by Google. Also, you need to use the developer version of the Chromium browser. And the it is all about understanding the structure of Chrome and how the browser interacts with addons. Have fun reading and good luck creating your own extension – make sure to notify us as soon as you have created something worth sharing to our users!
Lifehacker’s top 13 Chrome extensions
A few days ago, we have introduced the top ten Google Chrome extensions on this site. Of course, we are not the only one creating toplists of addons for Chrome and we don’t want to hold them back from you. Today we are going to introduce you to Lifehacker’s top 13 Chrome extensions, a description of thirteen very valuable plugins from different categories.
The recommended extensions are grouped into three categories:
- Checkers & notifiers
- Annoyance fixers & site improvers
- Other cool stuff
The first category introduces three extensions that all have Google Mail as a topic and how you can use Chrome extensions to get notified in case of an incoming mail. The second category introduces addons that improve certain websites, for example by making videos on Youtube bigger. The third category of Chrome extensions featured in the Lifehacker article is an accumulation of many plug-ins that provide cool features. With Web of Trust, of the extensions featured by also us was included in this category.
Note: The top-list was created in January 2010, by now many new extensions have been released, others have been updated and improved in the meantime. Therefore, the list should be read with some caution as it might not be representing the current state. However, the Lifehacker article is worth reading and the featured extensions should be known by any Chrome enthusiast.
New translation feature in Google Chrome
Google announced in a blog post today that the Chrome browser will be augmented with a smart new feature: With the help of speech input and Google Translate you can now translate what you say using Google Chrome.
The new speech input feature will work with HTML and was now implemented in the latest stable release. In the newly added input box you can just click in the bottom right on a microphone icon and speak whatever you need to have translated. You can then select the language you would like to have it translated to and the Chrome browser will read your text readily translated back to you.
The new feature will have to prove in real-live situations if it is just a nice toy or if it can really influence how we communicate across language boarders on the internet. But one thing is a fact: This is another example of the innovativeness of Google.
Top 10 Google Chrome plug-ins
In our attempt to make the chrome-plugins.org website more user-friendly, we have now introduced a new sidebar featuring the 10 highest rated Google Chrome extensions and themes.
The top-10 list will not be based on download numbers but on the rating a plugin has received from the author of a review. This way, we can ensure that not the developers with the highest marketing budget but the ones with the best product will be featured here. Currently, on the top of the list is Adblock, a free extensions created by a non-profit open-source community.
The top-ten list will appear on the homepage, in the categories as well as on review-pages and next to this blog. As many users come not directly to the first page of this website but rather land on one of the sub-pages through the Google search results, our goal is to make it easy for every user to immediately find what they are looking for – the best extensions, addons and themes for Google Chrome.
Chrome gains market share again
Google is pushing hard to make the Chrome browser more popular. TV commercials, billboards and online banner ads seem to be paying off: In the last year, Google has gained 1% market share – every month. The biggest looser in the “browser wars” is Microsoft.
According to Statcounter, Google’s global market share is currently 18,29%. One year ago, in April 2010, the market share was only 8.06%. And in the last monthe the growth speed has been increased due to marketing activities of Google. With a gain in market share of 1% every month, Google might even take over Firefox within the next year. Mozilla Firefox is stagnating around 30% market share and is not able to benefit from the losses if the Internet Explorer, all users seem to be switching to Google Chrome only.
Chrome-Plugins.org goes live!
Today we are pleased to announce the launch of our new website Chrome-Plugins.org – the one-stop-shop for Google Chrome related news and tools. This website aims to create the best overview for users to find extensions, themes and addons, read reviews, rate them and share them with friends via social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
The Google Chrome browser is becoming more and more popular and within the last months it has achieved a global market share of almost 20%. Microsofts Internet Explorer is loosing users constantly and there a good reasons for that: Chrome is faster, more secure and there are many ways to easily customize the browser. This customization is done by applying themes that change the look of the browsers as well as by installing free extensions that give the browser many additional functionalities.
But which ones of the many plug-ins and add-ons are worth downloading? This website will constantly review the best Chrome extensions and themes and will provide direct access to the downloads. But our opinion isn’t everything! We will make it easy for everyone to comment and rate extensions without registration to provide an overview which plugins are really the most popular ones.
