Free Google Chrome Apps- How to Select the Best from Thousands of Choices for Games, Business and Home

Surfing the web (do we still say that?) is fun and easy.

But, there's more to the internet than traveling from website to website. Chances are, you got to this blog by using the Google Chrome browser. Other browsers like Safari (Apple) and Explorer (Microsoft) work just fine, but for sheer popularity around the world, Google Chrome comes out on top.

However, it's time to stop thinking of Chrome as just a way to get from here to there on the interwebs. For some time now, Chrome has offered apps for their browser, just like a smartphone has apps to improve your phone experience.

You can find the Chrome Web Store here. Once you arrive, you'll discover thousands of applications optimized to work within the Chrome browser. Just like a smartphone, you'll find apps for games, education, productivity and the like. Because most people use the Chrome browser on a larger device like a laptop or desktop computer, the apps tend to be specialized for use on a larger screen. You'll see apps for video editing, business presentations, product design, TV watching and much more.

Keep this app away from my wife
(courtesy: Roomstyler.com)

This can be especially helpful if you're seeking some assistance with home remodeling, for example. There are several apps that allow you to create a 3D view of your home. This way, you'll be better able to envision your changes by removing a wall, replacing carpet with hardwood, painting the dining room green, etc. and do it all within the app before you ever pick up a hammer. Roomstyler 3D is one typical app for this kind of project in the Chrome Web Store.

Like I said before though, you can also find popular games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and others. They play just like the phone or tablet versions, but are modified to use your keyboard for control.

The good news is most of the apps are free. However, "free" can be a vague and loose term, with different definitions from developer to developer. Some may give you the whole program for no money at all. Others may provide part of the program, but want you to pay for the rest (for example, an app may allow you to design a business card, but charge you to print it). And still others allow you to download the app for free only, but to use any of it at all, you must pay up first.

So how do you find a great app for you when there are many to choose from? Read and pay attention to the reviews that come with every app. Chrome ranks apps on a five-star system and if you find an app with 173 reviews and an average four-star ranking, that usually means the app is a good one. However, is you see an app with 173 reviews and 1 1/2 stars, you'll probably want to move on to the next selection. Also, be sure to read the reviews, both good and bad, to get an overall feel for the product and it's suitability for you and your needs.

Lastly, in the name of fairness, both Explorer and Safari do have quality app stores that provide the same services as Chrome, so check them out too. If you do, I think you'll enrich your internet experience, discover some new ideas and maybe even play a game or two.

After all, isn't that why we all use the internet super highway (do we still use that term?)?

Public Domain Books, movies and music- 1,000,000+ titles for free!

Public Domain is a great thing- No copyright, no owners, no restrictions.

Films, books, music, images and other creative works simply enter into the world of public property and are available to all without worrying about who owns what. Sometimes, the items are created by a government (training films, historical photos, etc.) and are- by US government definition anyway- the property of taxpayers, that is, the entire citizenry(even worldwide!) because we paid for them with our tax dollars and therefore we are the owners. The idea being since we own the government, we also own whatever that government produces, hence all US government documents are public domain (except for documents designated as secret or vital to national security).

In the US, if the work originates from the private sector, be it a commercial enterprise, an individual or other source, then the copyright cannot last more than 120 years if created after 1978. If created before that year, then it expires after 28 years unless renewed with the U.S. Copyright office. Sometimes, copyright renewal is forgotten or simply not bothered with and the work becomes part of Public Domain.

A quick search revealed this early
portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
(source: Private Domain!) 

The point being there is a website that collects Public Domain works with movies like "Plan 9 from Outer Space" to books  written by Mark Twain and others to music like full concerts from The Grateful Dead. The Internet Archive has made it their mission to keep and preserve these millions of works for all to research, download and enjoy.

There's no cost and no registration required. The service is free to anyone in the world and people are encouraged to upload their own public domain creations for posterity.

It's very easy to find what you're seeking: Type in the "search" window at the top of every page and the site returns with a selection of items matching your search terms. Books, films, audio and the like each have a logo next to them to explain what format the item is in (i.e., photo). Click on the link and your desired item is in front of you for your enjoyment. By the way, software is available for download too, but you might want to beware when treading in those potentially virus infected waters.

Give the Internet Archive a try by clicking here- you might be surprised what treasure you might find. 

Ten great FREE apps for the Android phone.

Oh, I love free.

Free, free, free!

Go get 'em... The price is right!
(credit:unknown)

If you are like millions of others and just bought an Android based phone, here are ten FREE apps for the Android phone you can use to make your experience and your life easier.

There are apps that help you with money, buy groceries remotely, read a book on your new phone or even exchange contact info simply by tapping two phones together (I kid you not).

Andriodapps.com has the skinny on these apps that you can enjoy FOR FREE!

Go here to see. After all, it's free!

Find cheaper programs that do as good (or better) job than the big-buck software choices!

Got a ton of money burning a hole in your pocket? Me neither. Seems like it takes a bunch of cash to buy some of the programs we want most. Video editing programs can reach into the hundreds of dollars while a photo program like Photoshop can be nearly as pricey.

Turns out, folks in the tech world think the same way and have created their own version of popular software programs that do things like photo manipulation, video editing, spreadsheets, word processing, data back up programs and hundreds more- all for nothing!

The website Alternativeto.net has compiled an enormous collection of these off-the-beaten path programs and allowed users to use, review and rate them and has provided an easy and convenient way for you to download them safely. Try them out and if you don't like them, you aren't out anything but a bit of your time.

Click here to start.

The best security software...for free!

Recently, Microsoft debuted Microsoft Security Essentials, a free software down load for most versions of Windows. Formally costing as much as $100 or more, this suite of security products protects your computer from spyware, malware and other internet nasties.

Developed by the same folks who developed the software that 90% of the world uses, MSE is just as full-featured, just as secure and completely updatable (is that a word?) as any commercial product out there now and it has the pay-for-protection industry very worried, as they should be. This software download has been reviewed ten ways from Sunday and has emerged the winner in all comparisions. The best feature of all? Absolutely no cost to anyone who chooses to download it.

You can find it here.

I strongly encourage you to get it now and protect yourself from a potentially expensive and nefarious infection to your computer.