Dashboard for Chrome for Windows

All too often, programs and extensions that are meant to be helpful end up being more trouble than they're worth. We are pleased to report that this is not the case with Dashboard for Chrome. This extension is so practical and easy to use that we're already having trouble imagining Chrome without it.

Like most Chrome extensions, Dashboard for Chrome installed without issues, appearing as a small icon to the right of the browser's address bar. Clicking the icon opened a small window with a notepad on the left, a calculator on the right, and a search bar across the top. Above the search bar were icons for Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, Wikipedia, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook. You need only place a cursor in the search bar and then use F1 to scroll through each of the available searches. If you want to get more detailed in your search--say, locating a particular city in Google Maps--use F2 to scroll through the available search types for each service. For example, you can access not only Wikipedia, but also Wiktionary and Wikinews under the Wiki tab. Search results open quickly in a new browser tab. We also loved the Notepad feature, which saves its contents until it's cleared by double-clicking. Notepad content can be easily printed as well.

Overall, we thought Dashboard for Chrome was a great addition to an already-great browser, and we recommend it for anyone who wants to keep their favorite search engines, a calculator, and a notepad close at hand.