14 Must-Have Chromebooks Apps

Google has been hard at work loading its Chrome Web Store with apps and extensions to make your browser experience more useful. Here are 14 free must-have apps.

If you need to store text snippets and images you find online, keep to-do lists or capture an image with your webcam, then you need Evernote. This app syncs your data back to Evernote servers and is accessible from your PC or Mac, as well as iOS, Android, Blackberry, WebOS, and Windows Mobile devices.

Install Evernote

There are some powerful photo editing tools you can find online. Pixlr is a great choice if you like that Photoshop-like feel, but Picnik is also a good choice for simpler edits. Picnik also connects to sharing services such as Facebook, Flickr, Picasa Web, and Photobucket.

Install Pixlr and Picnik

The problem with having a browser-only OS is that after a few minutes of online work you’ll probably have more browser tabs open than you can handle. The TooManyTabs extension helps you sort that mess out. Just click on the extension icon and it will show you all your tabs in one window.

Install TooManyTabs

Instapaper is a great service for stashing articles to read later. There are many unofficial extensions and apps in the Chrome Web Store that work with Instapaper. The one I prefer is Instachrome, an extension that lets you mark items to read later. You can then read your saved articles via Instapaper online or on your iPhone and iPad.

Install Instachrome

You can stream music directly to your Chromebook from a host of online services including Rdio, Mog, and Pandora. If you want to listen to your own library on the go, you can try Amazon Cloud Player. Google Music beta doesn’t appear to have a Web app in the Chrome Web Store.

Install Rdio (free for 7 days), Mog (free for 14 days), Pandora, Amazon Cloud Player or bookmark Google Music beta

Seesmic Web lets you keep track of your social networking accounts in one place including Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Buzz and LinkedIn. You can see what’s going on in each social network, comment on others’ posts, update your status, and share photos, links or your location.

Install Seesmic Web

Comic book fans can read their purchased Marvel comics online with the Marvel Comics app for Chrome. If you’ve purchased comics using the Marvel app on your iPad or iPhone, they will also show up here.

Install Marvel Comics

No Chromebook would be complete without quick access to the world’s most popular mobile game, Angry Birds. Rovio’s Web app lets you smash those green pigs right in your browser for free. Atari also has a wide selection of its classic games online including Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Haunted House, Lunar Lander, Millipede, Missile Command, Tempest and Yars’ Revenge.

Install Angry Birds and classic Atari game

Sports fans will love the Sports Illustrated Snapshot Web app that gives you access to a selection of Sports Illustrated photos and follow your favorite teams online.

Install Sports Illustrated Snapshot