Bringing up the polish on Chrome - How to make it better

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The Google Chrome browser sheds the weight to make browsing a leaner and meaner experience, but in its process of cutting out the bloated offerings Microsoft and Mozilla made to the surfing community, it has lost a little more weight than is required.

However, there are ways for plugging the functionality gaps.

1.  Firstly, it is an enhanced RSS support that detects the RSS feeds and allows subscribing through a third-party reader. A visit to www.savanttools.com/feedhelp-bookmarklet.asp shall do that; all you require to accomplish is dragging the Detect Feed link to the Bookmarks toolbar. Clicking on it on any page bearing a RSS feed allows subscribing easily to the feed if you have any of the nine supported readers e.g. Google Reader or Newsgator or iTunes.

2. Chrome allows securing passwords through a manager and doesn’t encrypt them. There’s also no master password that may prevent others from using/viewing them. The free KeePass tool is a good way to store and fill the passwords.

3. Chrome supports social bookmarking and its as easy as dragging and dropping the links at the Bookmarks bar. It also synchronizes others if you are running Chrome on multiple PCs. Accessing the Google bookmarks is easy from a pop-up window; use the bookmarklet from www.orizens.com/wp/topics/google-bookmarks-bookmarklet .

4. Chrome blocks ads when added with Hostsman, a third-party program. Install it and choose Hosts>Check for Updates to add MVPS Hosts, Peter Lowe's AdServers List and Mike's Ad Blocking Hosts.

5. If you are missing the mouse-gestures from Firefox, this is a functionality that you may add to Chrome. Lightweight yet infinitely customizable, the gMote tool is available at: www.handform.net/gmote.php.

6. Opening a brand new blank tab requires typing about:blank in the address bar and dragging it on to the bookmark's toolbar with the Ctrl & Shift keys held down. Click this to open a brand new tab.

7. Changing the theme requires changing the default.dll file, since Chrome lacks the built-in support for theme swapping. So choose between any of the 20 themes at www.freechromethemes.com; if you want to create one yourself, get the tutorial at www.askvg.com

8. Google Chrome’s unique identifier potentially identifies every user. If you want to stay anonymous, download UnChrome from www.abelssoft.net/unchrome.php, to change your identifier ID to zeroes.

9. Chrome, being new is in a state of constant evolution, making new features available to bridge the technical gaps with version 2. But if you are in a hurry, then a visit to www.dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel shall provide you with many insights on the beta version of the Chrome2.