As I’ve chronicled here, I love to read on my Nexus One. Everything just looks and feels right when I’m doing so. It helps a ton, too, that Google Reader works well with the Android browser. For the most part I can star articles in Reader from my desktop if I know I’ll have time to read later. But sometimes I find sites by browsing, and they’re not in Reader. And, even worse, sometimes you don’t get a full RSS feed. That’s why I love the new Chrome to Phone feature. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great start.
The idea is pretty basic. You’ll need to use Google Chrome — and I have to say, it’s been the best browser I’ve used by far, mopping the floor with the current Firefox — and you’ll need to get the Chrome to Phone browser plugin. Then you’ll need to find Chrome to Phone in the Market (QR code below). You’ll run through a quick setup process, and then you’re ready to go. When you want to send a web page to your Android handset, just click the browser plugin button. You’ll hear your notification sound on your Android, and the browser will open and load the page.
The only downside is that if you do this multiple times, the browser will load the new page over the old one. This isn’t a total drawback, since you can always hit the back button. But if you’re reading underground, you’re out of luck. It would make a lot more sense to have each Chrome to Phone item open up in a new window. That’s why there are different windows in the first place, right? Of course, you can take some of that out by manually opening a new browser after you load the first item. But it would be nice to have this feature work automatically.
For anyone who enjoys reading on an Android device, I strongly suggest downloading this plugin and app.
