7 Gmail plugins for Chrome that you simply need
Nowadays, Gmail is one of the most popular e-mail services all around the world; however, there are still some drawbacks to Google's creations. Before you start seeking alternatives maybe it would be better to look out for some extra features?
Plugins can provide you with additional functionality without all the nuisance of changing your e-mail service. We decided to gather a few extensions for Chrome that will certainly improve your Gmail experience in no time.
1. Personalize Gmail's appearance
If you are in need for more minimalistic interface, try Gmelius - a one-man project that brings Zen into your cluttered inbox by removing ads, unnecessary widgets and fields, and enabling customization of its looks. This extension brings a number of small but useful changes to your Gmail account.
2. Merge Gmail with other services
"Accidentally great", Rapportive is a tool that allows you to connect with your friends from other social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) via your Gmail account. Rapportive displays in your Gmail's window (in fact it shows it where normally you would see ads) your photo and personal information, along with accessing social features such as liking and commenting directly from your Gmail account.
Rapportive has also Raplets - additional "extensions" that allow you to sync your Gmail account with soem other services that are not stricly social networks but are also based on the idea of membership.
3. Browse your e-mail offline
It's true that nowadays very few people use modem connections, but sometimes you just don't want (or you can't) stay online all the time. If that's the case, try Google Offline - an official Google extension that allows you to create, move, delete and mark e-mails while offline, and all the changes you have made will be synced once you connect to the Internet.
Although the interface differs slightly from what you might expect from your Gmail inbox, Gmail Offline is still better than using slow and unreliable desktop clients. You can switch between a few accounts and also sync your Google Calendar events and assignments.
4. Don't forget to read it later
Got your inbox stuck with a pile of e-mails awaiting your attention, but you totally don't feel like reading them right now? With Boomerang received e-mail will come back to you...only later. With Boomerang you can write an e-mail now, but send it later automatically. You can also set a message to boomerang (that is, come later to your inbox) and even choose certain conditions for receiving such a remainder. This program certainly proves useful if you have to manage an awful number of e-mails without going nuts.
5. Signature your e-mail better
Signatures are useful, but who likes these sign-up lines you are offered? WiseStamp makes it incredibly easy to create personalized e-mail signatures that include, along with links to your social networking sites, some extra dynamic features such as latest tweets or RSS updates.
The extension has a very intuitive interface - even your computer-illiterate boss would make use of it ;-) If you know something about HTML you can also try editing the code.
6. Find e-mail attachments easily
One of the drawbacks of Gmail's search engine is that it only gives you the results of the words within an e-mail, but if it's a document in an attachment that you're looking for it would be much better if you remembered its name. But if you install Attachments.me, you will be able to search for your attachments freely.
How does it work? The program sends your attachment to a cloud (in services such as Dropbox, Google Drive or Box) and later allows you to set rules for specific recipients and senders, along with letting you attach your enclosures directly from the cloud.
7. Create a To-Do list
If you feel that creating a To-Do list would help you to organize your tiem and life better, go ahead and download Any.DO - a Chrome extension which allows you to create a to-do list and manage your tasks and assignments between different devices. It works very similar to Evernote.
This list is only the essence of all the features you may add to your Gmail account. If you have any other favourites, share them in comments below!