Thing 9 - Browsers

I have particularly enjoyed this 'thing' since I have come to appreciate that  the five main browsers do have some nuances and whilst on the surface of it may not behave that differently, can in fact offer quite distinctive features. Having played around with them for some time I can quite confidently say that I certainly have my favourite and would also gladly avoid one or two altogether.

There was once a time that I thought all web browsers essentially did the same thing. When using a PC I would faithfully stick to Internet Explorer, and on my Mac, Safari would be my browser of choice. On discovering Firefox I found that it ticked all the boxes and did all that I needed it to do at the time.  More recently I tried Opera and although it claims to be the 'fastest browser in the world,' I'm not sure I agree. Then, one day, I discovered Chrome.....

I ♥ Chrome

Chrome is a browser developed by Google, so if you are already a fan of the Internet giant then it makes sense to check it out. Some sources say it is the world's most used browser (although I must say I don't know many people who use it). What I like about Chrome is that I can log into my profile from anywhere and I can access all my bookmarks, favourites etc. I also have the option of creating more than one profile so I can have a google account associated with work, and a personal account as well.

The Chrome web store is also a welcome addition and features some great apps including Google web lab, Evernote, Tumblr and Google web highlighter. I could probably go on for a while about how much I love it but I think that makes me sound quite sad so I shall leave it there...or at least after a few pros and cons:

Pros:

Web-Store - loads of excellent add-ons to make life easier. From my toolbar I can pin images to Pinterest, open my Instagram feed, add items to my universal Amazon wishlist, bookmark articles with Diigo....

Easy to customise - loads of themes to choose from and you can have a different theme for each profile.

Integration with all other Google accounts - easy to access Google reader, Picasa, Google Drive, Gmail from your apps page (see image above).

Cons:

Some compatability issues -  From a work perspective this is quite irritating as I have to switch between Explorer and Chrome when I'm using certain programmes, although Library Chat works well and has a little pop-up which is welcome as I can now mute my speakers!

It's Google and some think they are evil.....http://www.wired.com/business/2012/06/opinion-google-is-evil/