I was thinking of the most essential chrome add-ons I use and figured
the three listed below are ones I'm really grateful for. They help with daily productivity
and could also be considered as essentials, however the word grateful
seemed to make a better title feature than must-haves for me while
writing (hence the title!); little do we express gratitude these days!
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| graphic designed via canva.com |
Here goes:
- Google Dictionary. This Google-developed extension feels quite second nature that at some point I thought it was a Chrome intrinsic feature. You can easily access Google’s dictionary feature by googling a word or in some cases you’ll need to precede it with the term define or use the phrase what does [word] mean and similar queries. The add-on however lets you get instant access to the first hit in the definitions upon a double-click via a pop-up speech bubble (pop-up triggers are customizable). The pop-ups are so convenient, they obscure very little of the web text; are very easy to click out of and appear in an instant (unless internet’s super slow). The add-on also helps you define phrases by highlighting and pressing a button (in my case ctrl), and better yet, translates from other languages for those foreign language inserts you find in articles or even reading in any non-English language and come across a novel term, a definition is as easy as a (double) click away! You can also get fuller details on a definition by clicking on the dictionary extension icon next to your Chrome’s omnibox, which will automatically define the highlighted word/phrase or you can type in your query for instant details, without leaving the web page you’re in. Very nifty!
- Clearly. I personally don’t have an ad-blocker, but when it comes to reading articles, I do want minimal distraction and Evernote’s Clearly is just perfect for that. Even if you don’t use Evernote for saving web bits for later (which you can do through Clearly), Clearly is still an invaluable utility. Clearly basically filters out all the distractive elements in an online article at the click of its icon (or through the right-click menu) and just shows you the content: text, images and embedded video. You also get to customize the aesthetics with customizable font size, type and color themes. This add-on is perfect for reading ad-laden articles or simply those with sidebars packed with suggested articles that keep you from reading the first one in the first place! Another personal favorite use for Clearly is with websites that use black background against contrasting bright font.
- Cool clock. This is a feature-packed clock add-on. It offers a wealth of customization to minute details. For instance, you can choose to have the icon be set as the digital time (whose display is customizable) or analog time (whose clock face is also customizable, in CSS - so it doubles as educational to a CSS enthusiasts as well!). The add-on is highly accessible with its right-click menu, from which you can set an alarm, which could be repeated routinely if you chose (and yes, its ringtone is customizable - you can upload a URL or file for the perfect jingle!). The app also offers optional hourly notifications to remind you that another hour has passed (an honorable effort to wade off procrastination!), from where you could also (optionally) view weather information. There are oodles more features on cool clock such as their browser time statistics (ever wonder when do you usually open your browser?) and a calendar feature.
What are your favourite Chrome (or any other browser's) add-ons? Are the ones I listed in your favourites? Feel free to comment below your thoughts.
Hope this was fruitful. If so, feel free to share!
Till the next post;
Noha Kareem
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