As I wrote in “Choosing a Secure Web Browser for Your Business”, Google Chrome’s share of the U.S. web browser market has increased to 14% since it was release in September 2008. It is fast and, in true Google fashion, has a simple interface and solid security.

Chrome, like Firefox, provides the ability to customize and extend the browser functionality with extensions (add-ons) the Chrome Web Store. As more and more business tasks move online, accessing them through a customized browser is essential to an enjoyable and productive experience.

Google also offers loads of apps through the Chrome Web Store. An app is basically an web base application that is customized for the Chrome browser. It doesn’t alter the browser itself.

Before you load up on extensions and apps, don’t forget to setup sync to share your bookmarks, apps and extensions across all your computers. Here is a quick video on how to customize Chrome.

Note: In this video I’m using Google Chrome on a Mac.

Recommended Apps

Google Reader – RSS feed reader
Gmail – Everyone’s favorite free email service
Google Docs – An alternative to MS Office
Hootsuite – Social media dashboard

Recommended Extensions

Silence of the Celebs – Block out the noise of Hollywood
Google Tasks (by Google) – Create quick todo lists