Chrome Corner - weekly updates, extensions, themes, and tips for Google Chrome

Welcome back to Chrome Corner! Due to some craziness we're running a day behind here - so let's get going!

Chrome for Mac gets extension support
Google pushed out two Chrome updates in the past five days - including one which added some missing features for Mac users. Yes, at long last the developer channel for Mac has gained support for extensions! You're now free to browse around the extensions gallery and install to your hearts' content.

Don't forget about Sebastian's list of 10 must have Google Chrome Extensions - it'll help you find some great ones quickly!

Bookmark sync was also added in the build, which is a godsend if you're running Chrome on multiple machines using different operating systems. You can also pin tabs now!

Free up memory in Chrome Beta!
A while back, I spotted an addition to Chromium's nightly build which allowed you to add a purge memory button to the Chromium task manager screen. Now that feature has made its way into the Beta channel of Chrome!

To add the purge memory button, add the following command line switch to your Chrome shortcut: --purge-memory-button. The purge feature does a good job of freeing up memory, especially if you use a lot of process-hungry web apps.


So where the heck do I add command line switches for Chrome?!?!
It's pretty simple once you know where to look. So where do you look? Track down your Chrome shortcut - you can even use the one on your start menu. Once you've found it, right click the icon and choose properties and when the propeties window appears you'll notice a box labeled target.

The end of that line is where you add all your switches. You can tack on as many as you like, just make sure to put a space between each one or Chrome won't recognize them when you start up!

A pair of time tracking extensions show you where your spend your time browsing!
The other day I noticed a single tracking extension - Time Tracker. It's very basic, offering a list of URLs and the amount of time you've been active on each tab. Tracking seems fairly accurate, and the extension does a good job of recognizing when you've gone idle by keeping an eye on your mouse movement and keyboard use.

A second options has also appeared - Time Report. My one gripe with TR is that the font size is too big for the pop-out display. I do like that you can easily click + drag to highlight the chart and paste it into a spreadsheet app to analyze.

That's Time Report pictured at the right.

Extension developers get access to right-click context menu
Another small addition in the most recent Beta channel update allows extension developers to integrate browser and page actions into the right-click context menu. This should make using Extensions like translators a bit easier, since you'll soon be able to highlight and right click instead of having to mouse up to the browser actions area on the main Chrome toolbar.


Calvin and Hobbes fans, you've finally got a custom theme!
...but I'm going to go out on a limb and say there probably weren't a lot of you waiting for one. Still, if you love seeing Calvin and Hobbes in their trademark dance of joy, why not skin Chrome with this theme? It's full of good vibes and...er...dusty mauve.