Google browser apps. Google Chrome web apps, what are they?

Check out this selection of the best apps for Google Chrome.

Sunrise Calendar

Sunrise Calendar – This is the most amazing free calendar app. You can sync it with iCloud and Google Calendar. You can quickly add events with one click on the start button, adjust the duration and add any necessary details. What adds beauty to the application is that it is cross-platform, and you can use it not only on a laptop or desktop computer, but also on a tablet or smartphone.

Lazarus Form Recovery

If you've ever accidentally closed a tab or clicked the back button while filling out a form, then Lazarus Form Recovery- This is the tool you've been waiting for a long time. This app saves everything you write in online forms, encrypting the information to maintain security and privacy.

If you accidentally delete or close something, click on the icon Lazarus` and choose which text you want to restore. This application has a wonderful setting that allows you to save information for a long time, so you can return to completed documents.

0h h1

There are three basic rules of 0h h1, and you can talk about them freely. Firstly, neither three red nor three blue tiles can be located next to each other in the same column or row, and secondly, in full line or a column must have the same number of tiles of different colors, thirdly, two rows, just like two columns, cannot be the same. Solving this little puzzle is much more difficult than it might seem at first glance. An exciting fusion of Sudoku and Tetris will not leave you indifferent.

Telegram

Telegram is an ultra-secure and encrypted cloud-based messaging app that lets you connect with friends using any device. This easy-to-use application will allow you to access all your messages from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. A recent update added native support for Instagram services and Twitter, as well as YouTube, Vine and Vimeo. This is one of the most secure applications for messaging.

Gmail Offline

Gmail Offline solves one of the most big problems email applications- availability in offline mode. This app syncs with your account Gmail entry every time you are online, allowing you to access your mail when you are not connected. You can read messages, archive mail, and even write new letters or replies. Next time the app is detected available connection to the Internet, it automatically performs all actions.

WeatherBug

WeatherBug is a great standalone weather app. WeatherBug provides up-to-date weather information for various locations, interactive maps, warnings about weather changes, as well as online broadcasts from video cameras of nearby weather stations.

Pixlr Touch Up

Pixlr Touch Up is a simple and free photo editor that is ideal for editing photos to share on social networks or an online gallery. The application's capabilities include cropping the image, resizing, rotating, adjusting color and contrast, and applying color filters. The Undo and Redo buttons will allow you to undo inappropriate changes, and you can save the edited images on your hard drive or on Google Drive. This is, of course, not Photoshop, but it’s very good app for instant processing.

Google Keep

Google Keep - This app doesn't just save your browser bookmarks to its own taskbar, it completely transforms your desktop. Now you are one click away from writing notes and reminders, quick insert fragments of text. You'll be able to insert images and lists, set reminders, archive or delete notes, and sync data across all your devices.

Pocket

Pocket is very popular app to synchronize devices. This app saves articles, videos, photos while browsing online for later access offline on any device. This application is designed for offline viewing of saved content, while you can edit and optimize the appearance of articles, change the font size and the background, tag, search, archive or share via email, Twitter or Facebook.

LastPass

In our high-tech world, we constantly have to juggle usernames and passwords for various accounts in a wild variety of applications and services. LastPass is a password manager that helps you create complex passwords and store them encrypted on a server, which you can access at any time and from anywhere. You can extract any required password, knowing only one - the main password for the storage. Simple, safe, convenient - this application will save all absent-minded users.

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20 best apps for Chrome | Introduction

Google is constantly working to expand the ecosystem of applications for the browser Google Chrome and Chrome OS. Chrome Web Store includes an ever-growing library of Chrome apps, complete with new app bundles that run standalone on the desktop via Chrome Launcher. We've rounded up the top 20 apps, including image editors, notepads, music utilities and some games.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Evernote Web

Widely popular cloud-based notepad and notes service Evernote is now available as a Chrome app, giving you access to your entire library of notebooks, web notes, and more through your browser. Using the application, you can organize materials into notebooks with the ability to search by tags and use Evernote for any project. Evernote Web will be an excellent addition to the browser and is suitable for solving the most various tasks: writing course work, taking daily notes, managing a project, or organizing a brainstorming session.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Pixlr Touch Up

Autodesk Pixlr Touch Up is a free, lightweight photo editor that includes a number of photo editing tools that you can use before posting your images to in social networks or galleries. Pixlr Touch Up includes options such as cropping, resizing, rotating, and color and contrast enhancements, as well as several color quick filters. The Forward and Back buttons allow you to undo inappropriate changes, and the result can be saved to your PC or Google Drive. This is, of course, not Photoshop, but for minor image adjustments, Pixlr Touch Up is great.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Pixlr Editor

If you're looking for a more powerful photo editor for Chrome, check out Pixlr Editor with an unexpectedly rich set of functions. The application is equipped with many balance, saturation and exposure adjustments, levels, curves, layer editing tools and other tools. Pixlr Editor is a great choice for those who need more than basic editing capabilities and a few quick filters.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Kindle Cloud Reader

The Amazon Kindle e-book reader is available on a variety of platforms, including Google Chrome. It allows you to read Amazon eBooks from your browser or Chromebook. Kindle Cloud Reader is a flexible reader with options for changing font size and many other features. Kindle takes advantage of Amazon's Whispersync system, which automatically syncs the last page read, notes, and other features of the latest book. The app even allows you to read books without an Internet connection.

20 Best Chrome Apps | SoundCloud

Application SoundCloud for Chrome provides the user with access to one of the most popular communities for music exchange. Users can share their favorite songs with friends or publish them on blogs, websites and social networks. Facebook networks or Twitter. The account itself is free, and premium users will have access to login statistics, custom titles, and much more.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Google Keep

Google Keep, the note-taking service from the search giant, is getting its own desktop app for Chrome. The app removes Keep from the tab bar and places it on the desktop taskbar. Now you're just a click away from posting notes, reminders, and quick text notes in the Keep desktop app. Insert images and lists, set reminders, archive or delete your notes, sync data across all PCs and mobile devices with one neat notepad.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Any.do

Any.do is a powerful task management application that has migrated from the mobile segment to the desktop segment thanks to the Chrome App. Any.do allows you to create and schedule tasks. It is supplemented with notes and reminders, as well as simple interface with drag and drop functions.

Tasks can be prioritized, shuffled across the timeline, and placed in folders such as Work or Personal. In addition, Any.do syncs tasks across sites, desktop and mobile applications. This means you'll receive reminders and notifications on the go and always have your to-do list at hand.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Pocket

Pocket(formerly known as Read It Later) is a popular content synchronization service that uses a browser extension to save articles, videos, and images for offline viewing later on various devices. Pocket Chrome The App is a standalone viewer for all saved content, with optimized article reading options, customizable font size and background, tagging, searching, archiving, and sharing via email, Twitter, and Facebook.

20 Best Chrome Apps | UntilAM for Chrome

Until AM for Chrome turns your desktop PC or Chromebook into a DJ console using tracks from your music collection as well as content from SoundCloud.

Drag songs onto two virtual turntables and then playfully adjust playback speed, echo, chorus and scratch effects. Music can be combined with tracks from the cloud when you're connected to the Internet, or mixed with your locally stored tracks while offline. With this program you can easily provide the party with music until late at night.

20 Best Chrome Apps | HootSuite

If you work with social networks on a professional level or are looking for a multifunctional command center for a social network, then you will find it useful HootSuite. The online dashboard for managing multiple social media accounts, including Twitter, Facebook and Google+, is equipped with numerous tools for advanced users.

This application can track keywords and mentions, analyze indicators and much more. Additional tools can be found in the HootSuite App Directory.

20 Best Chrome Apps | RAD Soldiers

RAD Soldiers is a free tactics game launched through the Chrome App. RAD Soldiers was developed by XCOM. In the game you will have to command your own squad of hand-drawn soldiers in turn-based skirmishes against computer and real opponents. You won't find tactical realism in RAD Soldiers, but as a free-to-play squad tactics game, it's pretty good.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Weatherbug

WeatherBug for Chrome is both a showcase of Google's desktop apps and a great separate application to display the weather forecast. WeatherBug provides updated weather data for any location, interactive maps, multiple weather alerts, and a Live Weather Cams utility that allows you to view weather conditions from the webcam of a nearby weather station.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Marvel Comics

Application Marvel Comics for Chrome allows the user to get the latest and greatest Marvel comics featuring heroes like Thor, Captain America, X-Men and many more right in the browser. The web store lets you buy new comics, and the viewer lets you read collections online. Additionally, the Marvel Comics app syncs purchases for iOS applications and Android, making it easy to continue reading on your desktop or mobile device.

20 Best Chrome Apps | AudioSauna

AudioSauna is a free online audio station and workshop. The application provides the user with a package powerful tools for creating, mixing and editing music. The powerful synthesis engine is complemented by features such as samplers, layering, looping, live effects and filters. Free DIY musical instrument AudioSauna – perfect solution for music lovers.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Gmail Offline

Gmail Offline solves one of the main weaknesses of services Email: the need to connect to the Internet. The application synchronizes your Gmail account, when you are connected to the Internet, providing access to mail when you are not connected. You can read, archive and even write and reply to emails. The next time Gmail Offline finds an Internet connection, the app will automatically perform all the actions you performed offline.

20 Best Chrome Apps | 500px

Photo sharing site 500px got its own application for Chrome App. In it you will find delightful photographs of landscapes, animals, and artistic photos. Online galleries are filled with popular posts and editor shots, and you can also search and view a specific user's portfolio. 500px for Chrome App will show you a colorful, whimsical, strange and at the same time beautiful world in which you are sure to find interesting photos.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Text

Text is a lightweight text editor for Chrome. It lives in the Chrome ecosystem and provides the user with a fast and flexible tool for opening and editing multiple text documents, complete with syntax highlighting, line numbering, and Google Drive syncing. In terms of functionality, it cannot compare with MS Word, but for quick and easy editing text and coding is a small and neat application with additional functions fits perfectly.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Magisto

Magisto is an easy-to-use application for creating videos. His mobile version characterized by the presence of a fairly extensive user base. Now Magisto has reached Chrome. Just upload the videos you want to combine, select the series visual effects and let Magisto combine your clips into a single video sequence with musical accompaniment. Additionally, the Chrome app works offline, giving users the ability to process and encode long video files.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Mint

Although this application will be useful mainly to users from the USA and Canada, it is worth paying attention to its decent implementation. Mint.com– a powerful service for maintaining personal financial reporting. Free app Chrome lets you manage your personal budget from your browser or Chromebook. You can track savings, checks, loans, pension fund, set a budget, mark expenses, set reminders for bills, taxes and other regular payments. Mint uses 128-bit encryption and is essentially your personal, secure online financial hub.

20 Best Chrome Apps | Entanglement

If you want to take a little break and solve some relaxing puzzle, you can help Entanglement. Entanglement is a small puzzle with nice design. The player needs to flip the tiles so as to generate the longest and most intricate line possible. The game seems very simple at first, but as you fill up the board and cross paths in the tiles, the game becomes more challenging. Light music and the unobtrusive sand background perfectly calm the nerves.

To test the application you are developing, you will need to add it to your browser. To do this, on the chrome://extensions page you need to check the “Developer mode” checkbox. After this, it will be possible to add your extension or application.

manifest.json

The code of any Chrome application, like any extension, begins with a manifest.json file. It describes all the meta information of the application. Here's the editor's manifesto in its entirety:

( "name": "Simple Text", "description": "An extremely simple text editor (sample Chrome app)", "version": "0.1", "icons": ( "48": "icon/48.png ", "128": "icon/128.png" ), "manifest_version": 2, "minimum_chrome_version": "31.0", "offline_enabled": true, "app": ( "background": ( "scripts": [ "js/background.js"] )), "permissions": [ ("fileSystem": ["write"]) ], "file_handlers": ( "text": ( "title": "Simple Text", "types ": ["application/javascript", "application/json", "application/xml", "text/*"], "extensions": ["c", "cc", "cpp", "css", " h", "hs", "html", "js", "json", "md", "py", "textile", "txt", "xml", "yaml"] ) ) )

Let's look at the fields that we encountered here. Everything is clear with the name and description. Version is a required field - Chrome Web The Store will require it to change when you download an update to your app.

Var entryToLoad = null; function init(launchData) ( var fileEntry = null if (launchData && launchData["items"] && launchData["items"].length > 0) ( entryToLoad = launchData["items"]["entry"] ) var options = ( frame: "chrome", minWidth: 400, minHeight: 400, width: 700, height: 700 ); chrome.app.window.create("index.html", options); addListener(init);

Background page works in background regardless of application windows. Most of the time it is not loaded into memory. When the system starts, its code is executed and can install handlers for certain events, the most common of which is onLaunched. When handlers are installed, the background page is typically unloaded from memory and only runs back if one of the events it subscribes to has occurred.

When the user clicks on the application icon, or opens a file in it, the onLaunched event is fired in the background page. The call parameters are passed to it, in particular, the file(s) that the application should open. The code entryToLoad = launchData["items"]["entry"] saves the file transferred to the application in a local variable, from where the editor code will later take it. The onLaunched event can also occur when the application is already open. In this case, the code in the background page can decide for itself whether to open a new window or perform some actions in an already open window.

To complete the picture, here's the CSS:

Body ( margin: 0; ) header ( background-color: #CCC; border-bottom: 1px solid #777; -webkit-box-align: center; -webkit-box-orient: horizontal; -webkit-box-pack: left; display: -webkit-box; height: 48px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 12px; ) button ( margin: 8px; ) textarea ( border: none; -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace ; padding: 4px; position: absolute; bottom: 0px; right: 0px; textarea: focus ( outline: none !important; )

Basic code: working with files

Since in our example, for simplicity, we will limit ourselves to minimum set capabilities, then the main editor code will be devoted almost exclusively to working with files. Several APIs are used for this, some of which are already on their way to W3C standardization. The File API and related interfaces are a big topic that deserves a separate article. I recommend it as a good introduction.

So, let's look at the code in js/main.js. I will give it in fragments, full code- on Github.

Function init(entry) ( $("#open").click(open); $("#save").click(save); $("#saveas").click(saveAs); chrome.runtime.getBackgroundPage (function(bg) ( if (bg.entryToLoad) loadEntry(bg.entryToLoad); ) ) $(document).ready(init);

The task of the initialization function is to add handlers to the buttons and get a file from the background page to open. The background page context is obtained from the main window asynchronously using chrome.runtime.getBackgroundPage .

Button click handlers:

Var currentEntry = null; function open() ( chrome.fileSystem.chooseEntry(("type": "openWritableFile"), loadEntry); ) function save() ( if (currentEntry) ( saveToEntry(currentEntry); ) else ( saveAs(); ) ) function saveAs() ( chrome.fileSystem.chooseEntry(("type": "saveFile"), saveToEntry); )

We will store the current FileEntry in the global variable currentEntry.

The only one specific feature in the above code it is the chrome.fileSystem.chooseEntry method. Using this method, a file selection window opens (its own on each system). Like all other functions for working with the file system, this method is asynchronous and receives a callback to continue working (in our case, the loadEntry and saveToEntry functions described below).

Reading a file:

Function setTitle() ( chrome.fileSystem.getDisplayPath(currentEntry, function(path) ( document.title = path + " - Simple Text"; )); ) function loadEntry(entry) ( currentEntry = entry; setTitle(); entry. file(readFile); ) function readFile(file) ( var reader = new FileReader(); reader.onloadend = function(e) ( $("textarea").val(this.result); ); reader.readAsText(file ; )

In the setTitle() function we change the window title to show the path to current file. How this title appears varies by system. On Chrome OS it doesn't show up at all. chrome.fileSystem.getDisplayPath is the most correct way get the file path suitable to show it to the user. Another path representation is available through entry.fullPath .

The File API has two different objects that describe a file: FileEntry and File. Roughly speaking, FileEntry represents the path to the file, and File represents the data it contains. Therefore, in order to read a file, it is necessary to obtain a File object by Entry. This is achieved using the asynchronous entry.file() method.

The code for this example is kept as short as possible to fit into the article format. If you want to look at more detailed examples of how certain Chrome API features are used, a large set of Chrome apps examples have been published on GitHub. Official documentation on all software interfaces- at developer.chrome.com. The main place to get answers to specific questions about programming Chrome applications is.

Browser extensions and applications Google Chrome designed to expand the functionality of the browser. The selection of extensions comes from the Chrome extensions gallery. Applications are new (at the time of writing this article) from .

Google Chrome Extensions

To manage extensions and search for new ones, go to the menu (icon with a wrench at the top right). There we select the item "Tools""Extensions". A page with already downloaded extensions will open:

To open the catalog and choose any new extensions, click on the entry at the bottom of the page "More extensions". The catalog will be loaded. We select the one we need there and click on the button on its page "Install".

An installation confirmation window will appear. After agreeing, the extension will be installed.

Each extension has some function. Depending on this, the extension can run in the background, performing certain functions. Or can be represented by an icon on the right top corner(to display any information or activate by clicking on your icon).

Chrome applications (apps)

Applications in the browser Google Chrome appeared later than the expansions. Their appearance is primarily associated with the development of cloud operating system Chrome OS. Applications are taken into. And install your icon on the page quick access. All applications are divided into categories. Some of them are paid, some are free.

Some serve simply as shortcuts to some resources, some save themselves in storage Chrome browser and work locally.

To search and install new applications, just click on the icon Web Store on the quick access page.

Users who use Google Chrome as their default browser are probably familiar with the app store. Those who have worked with them know that applications are just links to the Internet pages of the corresponding online services. They are located in a separate browser panel at the address: “chrome://apps” (see the screenshot for an example).
Google Chrome apps

IN Lately the company produces Chrome applications for computers developed in languages JavaScript programming and HTML5. They run in separate processes from the browser and do not require network connection, although they use the Chrome engine for their work.

New Google Chrome Apps

The Chrome browser application is independent program, written in programming languages ​​(in order of popularity):

  1. JavaScript – used to write scripts for browsers;
  2. HTML - language hypertext markup web pages;
  3. Native Client - allows you to run applications in different browsers, regardless of OS;
  4. Emscripten is a C++ compiler that produces JavaScript code at the exit.

Sometimes other less popular engines are used to develop web applications, but without the use of Flash technology from Adobe. Upon completion of compilation source the program is compressed, after which it is able to work autonomously without the Internet. The Application Store suggests installing Google Keep on your PC, graphic editors Sketchpad or Pixlr, Writer notepad or the domestic game Cut the Rope, and launch them as classical programs via the application launcher. By the way, it is not a property of Windows, and also functions on Linux and MacOS.

Chrome is a platform for running applications

Please note that when using applications, the google chrome online store will install a panel to launch programs in automatic mode, without asking or notifying the user about the action.

Fig 1. Panel with applications

Upon completion of installation, a shortcut is created in the taskbar that launches the launcher, which displays a list of Chrome applications used on the computer. Through it, programs are launched or uninstalled without requiring the functioning of an Internet browser. Old applications that are recommended to be replaced with updated ones are indicated by an arrow, like shortcuts (in fact, that’s what they are - they lead to the corresponding sites).

Chrome app launcher, when there is an active Internet connection, synchronizes bookmarks, navigation history, saved passwords, etc. If you accidentally deleted an app google settings chrome, go to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/launcher and download it.

Examples of Chrome desktop apps

On google chrome store There are many programs for PC, including multifunctional graphic and text editors, unit converters, note-taking utilities, many games, clients for social networks and other services. Programs for Google Chrome are complete and can easily replace your daily applications, especially since they work offline. Using Google programs has several advantages:

  • access to services is always possible:
  • synchronization with the browser on all devices after authorization;
  • do not cause critical errors in Windows operation.

TechSmith Snagit

Fig 2. TechSmith Snagit graphic editor

As a result we get graphics editor, unable to independently create screenshots and function without the Internet (the plugin that takes screenshots requires a network connection to work).

Pocket

Going into Google store Many people paid attention to an application for Google Chrome called Pocket, a client of the service of the same name. It is designed to store articles that are interesting to the user, which he plans to read later. The program displays a list of saved articles in the form of thumbnails and allows you to search necessary publications by their title. During the saving process, Internet pages are cleared of advertising.
Additionally, Pocket allows you to save publications to an archive or share the most interesting ones with friends on social networks or send by email.