Apps

9 must-have apps and tips for your Chromebook

As Chrome OS is maturing, it’s miles turning into an immediate competitor to not the most effective computing device OSes such as Mac OS X and home windows, but also to iOS. As soon as I got to maintain the ASUS Chromebook flip, I started out the use of it more rather than my iPad; whilst I’m no longer on my desktop, I am with my Chromebook flip. Here are a number of the apps and hints that I take advantage of to continue my workflow.

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#1 text

This article editor is my favorite ‘app’ for the Chromebook because the maximum of my writing is done and saved in.txt formats to avoid any compatibility issues or dealer lockin as I flow across operating systems and systems. It has a contemporary, minimalistic UI. One feature that I like the maximum is the capacity to store files anywhere I need (something quite painful on my iPad). I have previously explained that I have a record server (powered through Ubuntu Linux) wherein all my files are living. I will effortlessly paintings on those memories proper from my Chromebook the use of apps like text.

I positioned text on par with chic text, ByWord, and iWriter (for folks on Mac OSX or iOS platform). If you need a Markdown editor, you may additionally attempt StakEdit and a similar app. As you start using such apps, my best recommendation will be to avoid the apps that save your documents on their cloud, behind their logins. I’ve seen cases wherein people have misplaced files. Use whatever app you want so long as the file is stored in a trendy format and on a power that you can access without that app.

Chromebook

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#2 Google doctors

Google doctors photograph once I want to collaborate on works, especially while running with my editors. Adequate, I need to admit that it’s no longer as feature wealthy as is Microsoft office (which I haven’t used because 2009), but at $zero cost, it does a high-quality activity as a phrase processor, collaboration, and garage device.

One characteristic that I like the most is the ‘concept’ mode, which goes extra or less like ‘song-adjustments’ on LibreOffice or Microsoft workplace to look at the changes made by the alternative events operating on the documents. You could take delivery of or decline changes to the documents. Then, you can constantly see the version records and revert to any preceding version of the report. You could also use it to make some documents public in examine-only mode and reach each person.

The capability to remark inside a report makes it less complicated to discuss points with collaborators and feature them taken care of our then and there while not having to electronic mail to every other. And then, there is continually the choice to chat with different collaborators for similar dialogue.

#3 AirDroid

I have both iOS and Android gadgets, and I’m developing extraordinarily pissed off with the airtight, definitely locked-down approach of iOS. Similarly, too crippled get right of entry to the record machine. There is no way to get admission to the iOS device over wi-fi other than iTunes, so if you have a Chromebook, iOS devices gained’t work. But, in case you are on Android, there is a super app known as AirDroid that may connect your Chromebook along with your Android tool over the wi-fi network. No longer the handiest can you get admission to the total storage of your Android tool from the Chromebook. You may also be capable of control apps and percentage documents and links between gadgets.

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#4 ship to Android

If you don’t need to preserve the 2 gadgets linked over wifi thru AirDroid, there’s a nifty tool with the aid of Google referred to as ‘send to Android’. Install the app to your mobile device when you deploy the app on the Chromebook and are logged into the equal Gmail account that you use on your telephone. Then you’ll be able to ‘push’ stuff like maps, links, selected text, and phone numbers for your Android tool.

#5 Google pix

Google Chromebooks have many images modifying and photograph processing answers. If you are searching for photo storage solutions, there’s nothing more prepared and higher than Google pictures. There are two options with Google photos – both store your pix inside the original layout, to depend on your storage space, or allow Google to compress your pictures into their high definition layout, for you to provide you with countless garage space.

That’s approximately garage; how about enhancing those pictures? It genuinely depends on what you want to do along with your photographs. Google pictures have a few neat images enhancing competencies, thanks to Google owned Nik software program. However, to edit pix, you want to open the photographs from pics.google.com in place of the Google pressure. Then there are 1/3 party apps along with Polarr, Pixlr, and Sumo Paint, which flip your Chromebook into a picture modifying platform.

#6 Google Hangouts

Skype was the most used app for me as my own family is unfolded throughout the globe, and it was extremely less expensive to stay related with them. However, amid revelations that Microsoft probably works intently with NSA and Skype calls can intercept without problems, I stopped using the provider in the put up-Snowden generation. No longer to say that regardless of buying the calls, I’m confirmed unrelated advertisements at the Skype window. It’s wherein Google Hangouts comes into play. It is more or less platform impartial, and you may also additionally make phone calls thru it. The international calls are extremely cheap, and calls within the US are unfastened. Unlike Apple’s FaceTime, it’s not locked into one platform; you can use it from any OS.

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#7 work with Google drive

at the same time, as I advocated above to keep away from apps which store your documents on their very own cloud and, as a substitute, select the neighborhood shops. However, there’s a turn facet keeping your files far from the cloud: if you are not saving your facts on a neighborhood server, you also run the threat of dropping such documents if you lose your Chromebook. In cases like these, you can use the apps that work with Google pressure. even though an app doesn’t integrate with Google force, which includes textual content, you could store documents to Google power. Rather, you may also use 1/3 birthday celebration cloud offerings or self-hosted cloud offerings with Chromebook to sync your data.

#8 work offline

long past is the times when you had to be online to use the Chromebook (sorry, Microsoft for the Pawn megastar smear marketing campaign). Nowadays, a majority of apps aid offline mode. This means that you could preserve to apply those apps even whilst you are not connected to the internet; the documents are synced after you are online.

It’s very smooth to discover the apps which have this capability; while you look for any app on the net App save, pick out the filter ‘Works Offline’ from the left sidebar, and it will display all the offline apps. You’ll also note a ‘thunderbolt’ icon next to such apps, so if an app has that icon in manner, it supports the mode. As a coverage, I the simplest use offline apps for paintings because they permit me to paintings directly from the local garage, although I am linked to the web. So none of my work receives stored to any cloud provider.

#9 pass offline with Gmail and Google force

maximum Google apps support offline mode, though you need to allow it from the settings. If you are touring and want to respond to preceding emails at some stage in the flight, you may do it now, as you would do with email clients like Outlook. Visit Chrome webshop and look for ‘Gmail Offline’. as soon as set up, open the app and permit the ‘allow Offline mail’. Rather, you may go to ‘settings’ inside the regular Gmail and visit the ‘Offline’ tab so one can ask you to install the Offline app. I wonder why Google doesn’t offer the competencies with the everyday Gmail app to apply Google drive/doctors offline, open Google pressure, and select ‘settings’ from the tools’ icon top proper. Then test the ‘offline’ box; now, your files can be had offline on the tool.

critical Tip:

allow the offline mode for such apps as a minimum of an hour before going off the grid so that Google can download the data to the nearby gadget. Additionally, keep in mind that there are positive capabilities now not to be had in offline modes, such as developing new folders and so on. the handiest doctors, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings presently assist the offline mode. That’s quite a lot most of what I do on my Chromebook. What apps you want certainly relies upon what you do. So if you are the use of a Chromebook or planning to shop for one and feature a few queries concerning your use-case, sense free to post a remark beneath, and I can try to raise an answer for you.

Elizabeth R. Cournoyer

Web enthusiast. Internet fanatic. Music geek. Gamer. Reader. Hipster-friendly coffee practitioner. Spent 2001-2007 merchandising human hair in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Spent 2001-2007 short selling tinker toys in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Spent 2001-2007 importing acne in Phoenix, AZ. Spent several months importing methane in Mexico. Spent the better part of the 90's creating marketing channels for wooden horses in Bethesda, MD. Lead a team implementing toy monkeys in Deltona, FL.

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