Here are ten apps that will make your Chromebook feel like a real desktop.
1. Gmail Offline
Gmail Offline is exactly what it sounds like, an offline version of Gmail that uses a cached version of your Gmail data to let you respond to email when you are offline. After you compose a message and hit send, it will hold the email until you connect to the internet again and it will send it. Perfect for business travelers, this app allows you to catch up on your online work when you don’t have internet access. You can download Gmail Offline from the Chrome Web Store, or you can select “enable offline” through your standard Gmail app settings.
2. Pixlr
For users who do low-level image editing, the Pixlr Editor offers a free, browser-based photo editing tool for Chromebooks. Pixlr Editor comes from Pixlr, which also makes editing tools for mobile. The app has the standard editing tools—red eye reduction, spot heal, filters (you have got to have some filters), and level adjustment. It doesn’t have the horsepower you get with Photoshop, but it has everything the average user would need to edit a profile pic or create a meme.
3. Numerics Calculator & Converter
The Numerics Calculator & Converter is a calculator for math and data nerds that can be used by ordinary people. It can work offline and it has a variety of options for customization. One of the most impressive aspects of this app is the option for users to create their own custom functions using JavaScript.
4. Wunderlist
If you are like me, the quality of your workflow is contingent on the lists you make. With Wunderlist, you can create beautiful task lists and to-do lists that are synced across all of your devices, as long as you have a Wunderlist account.
5. Feedly
Chromebook users who are looking to collect and digest content more fluidly should look no further than Feedly. Available for free in the Chrome Web Store, Feedly lets users aggregate the content from other sites into a personalized interface. Feedly empowers people to connect to the sources of information they care about and access that content as it arrives.
6. Clipular
No good apps list would be complete without a screen capture tool. Clipular lets users clip images they find on the web, organize them, and save them to their Google Drive. I’m usually a proponent of the using the standard lasso tool that comes with your OS, but Clipular offers some unique extras.
7. ShiftEdit
ShiftEdit is an online integrated development environment (IDE) for Chromebooks. Think about it as Wunderlist for developers in the sense that you can develop across platforms. “The goal of ShiftEdit is to supplement and eventually replace desktop IDEs. The project is in a similar vein to other web apps such as Gmail and Google Docs, which allow you to seamlessly pick up where you left off from one device to another.
8. imo messenger
For a standard IM-type chat, the Google+ Hangouts extension works well. But, for users who are looking to integrate chat from sites such as Facebook, imo messenger is a great option. Users can share pictures, text, and video with friends on imo, and there is also the option for browser-to-mobile video calls.
9. Google Keep
Check out Google Keep for simple note-taking and saving articles to read later. Users can save URLs, text, and images, while also being able to annotate saved content with additional notes or labels.
10. WeVideo
WeVideo is a video-editing app for Chrome that has three different editing modes to accommodate beginners and experts alike. Users can drag and drop media files into the video timeline and add a title or theme from the app. “WeVideo is the only true cloud-based offer for the mobile and cloud generation which is device agnostic and provides an adaptive interface allowing creators to move easily between different levels, based on their experience and familiarity with video editing,” said CEO Jostein Svendsen.
Source: Ten Apps that Make Chromebooks Feel Like a Real Desktop by Conner Forrest, published in Tech Republic
AGParts Worldwide is an industry leader in providing parts for Chromebook and laptop devices across all industries. We house a 350,000+ OEM new & reclaimed parts inventory and are an authorized reseller for most major Chromebook brands. Contact us to see how we can help your organization simplify your parts procurement process.