Productivity Comfort Zone: Why Google Chrome is My Preferred Browser - Cebu X-Geeks

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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Productivity Comfort Zone: Why Google Chrome is My Preferred Browser


I used to be a fangirl for a "different browser", but by the time I quit the corporate world and started to work online, my choice is now Google Chrome. While I can’t say that it’s the perfect browser, I have a solid reason why I would still prefer this one over any other web browser.

Signing-in to Chrome rocks!

I might get a lot of raised eyebrows here especially from those who are concerned about Google getting their data but that’s a completely different topic which deserves it’s own blog post. Today I want to emphasize on the benefits of the sign-in to Chrome feature.

It’s your web. Take it with you.

Signing in to Chrome allows you to take your bookmarks, browsing history, installed plug-ins or extensions, and other settings such as your browser’s theme, saved passwords, and auto-fill data to other devices so you always have a consistent browsing experience. Say you have a two computers - one is a laptop, the other a PC (or Mac). If you use the sign-in to Chrome option, how you set-up your browser on your laptop, you will see exactly the same set-up in your PC and vice versa. This is very helpful in the event that the computer you are working on crashed and you need to use a different one.

This feature not only syncs your Chrome data and settings to other computers but it also works on mobile devices with Chrome mobile app installed with a few exceptions on syncing browser theme and extensions. You only have to set-it up once and anything you update on one device will automatically sync with your other devices.

Note that you must sign-in to Chrome for each device to start syncing your data. For mobile devices, you must make sure that the sync option is enabled.

Productivity Comfort Zone.

I believe that familiarity breeds productivity. Ever noticed how you tend to lose your rhythm when using other people’s devices? Right. I also feel the same if I use another browser or a different instance of Chrome - one which I am not signed in. How about having to install your extensions and sign-in to multiple websites (again) because you used a different laptop for example? This can be very frustrating if you can’t remember all your passwords. Chrome saves you the hassle as well as time by simply signing-in.

I work in the cloud. This means that all the tools I use in order to perform my work are done via the internet with my browser serving as the access point. Almost everything that I do, I do it over the internet so I have very few desktop software installed. Another reason why I love using Chrome is that there are a lot of browser extensions --- lightweight programs that extends the functionality of a browser --- I can install which helps me become even more productive and efficient in what I do. Other browsers also have this feature, but they can’t sync them to other devices. This is why I call Chrome as my “productivity comfort zone” because I have everything I need already set-up and I can access them anywhere.

Separate work from your personal stuff.

Aside from giving a consistent browser experience, another advantage of signing-in to Chrome is that you have the ability to create multiple instances of Chrome each with their own set of extensions and settings for different purposes. I use my laptop for both personal and work stuff and I really love the fact that I don’t have to logout-then-login for several websites just so I can check my emails, social media, etc. I can even open two or more Chrome instances at the same time so I can easily monitor both my personal and work accounts. 

Multiple instances of Chrome, each with their own set of settings
I blogged about managing multiple users in Chrome on our company blog. Please check out this link if you want to learn of three different methods you can access multiple Google accounts (or any other internet account) without the need to open or install another web browser.

So there goes my major reasons why I simply love using Chrome. To start syncing your browser data, sign-in to Chrome by following these steps. If you have installed Chrome in your PC or laptop, it might have already asked you to sign-in with your Google account. Be reminded that it is not advisable to sign-in to Chrome when you are using a public or untrusted computer. Follow these steps to log-out Chrome from a particular computer. If you want to completely stop syncing and remove your data from all devices, you can do that on the Chrome Sync status page.

To Chrome or not to Chrome.

It’s all a matter of personal preference at the end of the day. If you are like me who works in the cloud or you simply want to take your data with you anywhere you go, then go ahead and sign-in to Chrome.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

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