We all love Google Chrome to surf the net. As an added fun and functionality, Google Code Labs have came up with something very interesting called “Google Chrome Extensions” and there is an array of such extensions available to suit your kind-a-needs.

Now, what are Google Chrome Extensions?

Extensions are small software programs that can modify and enhance the functionality of Google Chrome. You write them using web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

Though there are hundreds of Chrome Extensions are available from the Google Chrome Extension Site, still we have handpicked some 12 Extensions to share with you.

Lets Check them out !

Google Mail Checker Plus:

Displays the number of unread messages in your Gmail and Google Apps inbox. Preview mail, read, delete, archive and mark as spam!

Google Translate:

This extension translates entire webpages into a language of your choice with one click. This extension adds a button to your browser toolbar. Click the translate icon whenever you want to translate the page you’re visiting.

The extension also automatically detects if the language of a page you’re on is different from the language you’re using for your Google Chrome interface. If it is, a banner appears at the top of the page. Click the Translate button in the banner to have all the text on the page appear in the new language.

Learn more about Google Translate at http://translate.google.com/support/?hl=en

Docs PDF/PowerPoint Viewer (by Google):

Automatically previews pdfs, powerpoint presentations, and other documents in Google Docs Viewer. This one is one of the very popular extensions of Chrome.

Google Buzz Notifier:

With the launch of Google Buzz, here comes quickly the Chrome Extension as well. This one is one of the coolest new member of Google Chrome Extensions. With this check your Buzz right from Google Chrome!

Webpage Screenshot:

Fast & Simple solution to save JPG screenshots of any webpage. The first extension that captures the whole page. Fast & Simple extension to capture the whole webpage. Even long pages are saved in one image file. This extension lets you save PNG image of any webpage. Designers can choose to resize the window before capturing.

It works as a local extension. It means that the extension doesn’t send ANYTHING to any server. It can work even when there is no internet connection.

Feedly:

Feedly organizes your favorite sources in a magazine-like start page. A magazine-like startpage. A fast and stylish way to read and share the content of your favorite sites and services. Provides seamless integration with Google Reader, Twitter, Delicious, YouTube and Amazon.

RSS Subscription Extension:

This extension auto-detects RSS feeds on the page you are reading and upon finding one will display an RSS icon in the Omnibox, allowing you to click on it to preview the feed content and subscribe.

The extension comes with 4 feed readers predefined (Google Reader, iGoogle, Bloglines and My Yahoo) but also allows you to add any web-based feed reader of your choice to the list.

Google Dictionary:

With this extension, you can:

1) Double-click any word to view its definition in a small pop-up bubble.

2) View the complete definition of any word or phrase using the address bar dictionary.

Both features are configurable via the options page.

One Number:

This “One Number” checker extensions and you think that your Chrome toolbar is just a little too crowded, and you want to free up some of those buttons but you can’t bear to sacrifice the functionality.  What if you could gather your favorite Google services into one button… the unread counts into One Number?

One Number offers previews of unread items, a UI that fits with Chrome, the ability to selectively choose which services you want to check with One Number, and two-click access to open all services with unead items at once.

Orkut Chrome Extension:

The orkut chrome extension allows you to receive orkut updates and scrap notifications. The popup menu allows you to quickly jump to a friends’ page, search on orkut, visit your home/scrap/photos pages and share sites on orkut.

Have fun really! With Chrome Orkut Extension, your Orkut friends are even more closer, Isn’t it?

Blog This (by Google):

Add a BlogThis! button to the browser toolbar, which lets you post to your Blogger blog from any webpage with just one click.

Once you add the BlogThis! button to your browser toolbar, blogging will be a snap (or rather, a click). Click the button to open Blogger in a new application window. The new post is pre-populated with a link to the web page you’re on, as well as any text you’ve highlighted on that page. Edit the post to your liking and post it instantly to your blog!

Google Voice Extension (by Google):

Notifies you of new messages and gives you quick access to calling and free SMS via Google Voice. It adds a button to the toolbar, which displays the number of unread messages in your Google Voice inbox.

Please note that SMS is only available for accounts with a Google Number. SMS is not available in voicemail only accounts.

Overall, please note that when installing the extension it says “This extension will have access to all browsing history and private data on all websites” This is the default warning for any extension that needs content script access to all websites. These extensions does not collect any data about any website.

Guys, hope you will enjoy installing and working with these Google Chrome Extensions. Don’t miss out RSS Subscription to get updated with some more exciting stuff !

We all love Google Chrome to surf the net. As an added fun and functionality, Google Code Labs have came up with something very interesting called “Google Chrome Extensions” and there is an array of such extensions available to suit your kind-a-needs.

Did you know that just weeks after Microsoft announced the launch of Bing, its search engine with advertising and marketing blitz of $80 million in June, Google came out with its new operating system Chrome that is meant to cut on the dominance of Microsoft Windows.

This is the first time that Google is in for some serious challenge in the world of search engine. Microsoft has teamed up with Yahoo and if the deal rolls out effectively, then by next year the Microsoft-Yahoo duo will account for almost 28 percent of online searches.

The trade secret of the search engines is their unique algorithm. Just as Coca Cola has its own secret formula, in the similar way for search engines it is the complex set of instructions that holds the key to determine what and which will be shown in search results.

Microsoft’s Bing has been acclaimed critically as well. Bing is better described as Decision search engine and it has been designed with emphasis on four major categories of search-shopping, travel, health and local. It has been observed that the search results of Bing are displayed with two parts. The central part reflects the search results that Bing compartmentalize into logical categories while there is the navigation part on the left hand side that the user clicks on related searches. Bing also throws up a video preview that allows the user to hover the cursor over the video thumbnail and one can see video highlights automatically.

It is expected that the search results of travel by Bing will be the differentiating factor. If you do a Google search for inexpensive hotels in San Francisco or just want to get the best airfare deals, Google throws up lot of promotional sites and the outcome is close to useless. It is here that Bing will checkmate Google with Farecast technology.

What is Farecast Technology? Based on recent trends, it is designed to locate the cheapest hotels and flights. It will help to chart out the high and the lows of relevant room rates and airfares over a period of several months and can also put forth prediction as when the prices are expected to be low. The Farecast predictions have been recently audited by some independent companies and they have concluded that predictions are almost 75 percent accurate.

Google spokesperson have commented nothing in specific to Bing but said that the company takes every competitor seriously.

So why not Google Bing and see for yourself.

Here are some tips to optimize on Bing SEO (or DEO):

• If your website is around for some time, you are game with Bing SEO. Yes, the relatively new domains do not stand good chance with Bing SEO search results.  Additionally your sites should be content rich. Bing likes pages with text, at least minimum of 350 words.
• Outbound links to other sites that is simply no-no for Google have greater importance in Bing engines. So linking out is important and you will see smile in your faces with the search results in Bing.
• Title that correlates with the subject helps your website to rank in the top of Bing search results. So, Bing SEO puts preferences to those websites that have keywords in domain names.
• Bing is flash friendly so upload some jazzy videos with content-rich text and check out the difference in search results.

On a final note, I would like to share a link which is a unique one to see the best of Google and Bing:

Click here to Search with Bingle !  (Bing and Google), check out …