Get these Apps/accessories for your Chromebook Now

So you made the decision to purchase a Chromebook, congratulations: You have officially leaped full-heartedly into the cloud. Now it’s time to make the most out of it by bringing in these accessories and apps.

SD Card

With the purchase of your Chromebook, you get 1TB of Google Drive storage, that’s awesome! But you still only have 16GB (or 32GB) of local storage, hardly enough for anything. The fix is easy, avoid USB Flash Drives and external hard drives, the first malfunctions too easily and the second is too much to carry around, go instead with an SD Card. It’s more portable, more stable, and quicker. For $53, you can get a 64GB SanDisk SD Card; I went for a 128GB at $115, that’s as much storage as an entry-level Macbook Pro Retina has.

You shouldn’t forget to safely remove it every time you want to close the lid and put your Chromebook to sleep.

Chromecast

This is a great accessory; once you start using it you realise how functional it is. Not only does it work with your Chromebook, but also with your Android phone and Google apps in general on all platforms.



You can stream Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO and a number of other services. It’s also not expensive at $35.

MS Office Online

Google suite (Docs, Sheets, and Slides) is getting better and it works offline, but we all know MS Office is the most widely used, and now MS Office Online (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is available on the Google Web Store as web-apps.

I understand you can only access these apps when you are connected to the internet, and it works only with OneDrive so that 1TB you got with your Chromebook is not usable here. But first, by getting a Chromebook, you have signed your soul to the cloud, so working online is part of the deal. Besides, for $2 a month you can get 100GB, and that should be enough for your word, excel, and powerpoint needs.

WeVideo Next

It edits videos, it works offline, and it is simple. It is not Final Cut Pro X, but for most people, it gets the job done.

As an added bonus, their website has a video series to teach you how to use the app for your needs.

Evernote Suite

Needless to say Evernote is an essential tool on all platforms, (here is why I think so). On your Chromebook, you can run the Evernote Android app, which is great, but I am also a big fan of the new redesigned web-app.




There is also Evernote Clipper, which provides diverse options for how you clip content from the web.

StackEdit (for Writers/Bloggers)

For me, MS Word and similar apps are for writing proposals, memos and other business documents. They’re not for writers. A true writer’s app let’s you focus on your content and gets everything else out the way.

On Chrome OS, I like StackEdit (web-based app). It is not like Ulysses (for Mac/iPad), but it also doesn’t cost $45. It has all the features I want in a writer app: It’s simple, you just focus on your content and it will take care of formatting for you. It’s flexible, you can save your work to your Google Drive and you can even publish your content directly to Blogger, WordPress, and other platforms.

I like to keep my photos on Flickr and integrate them into my Blogger posts. I can insert the images’ links directly in StackEdit and view how the image looks before I publish the post.

It has realtime preview of the article you are writing, which for some can be an added bonus; I personally like to write first, then preview. But that’s just me.

Polar Photo Editor 2

A great photo editing app, loaded with features, works offline, and again, it is free. You get a set of standard looks with the option to dig a little deeper and tweak your images.

I also like Pixlr Express, a web-based app, because it is more user-friendly with good features as well. But it doesn’t work offline.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet pushes your notifications to all your devices. You get notifications for your calls, text messages, and anything your phone needs your attention for. You only need to connect your Chromebook to your phone once, then it will be seamless and stable.

These accessories/apps can get you much more out of your Chromebook and will not cost a fortune. Feel free to share other cool accessories/apps you like.