Introducing a Highly Customizable New Tab Dashboard Extension for Chrome

Are you looking to enhance your productivity and personalize your browsing experience? I’ve developed a comprehensive new tab extension that transforms your browser’s start page into a versatile, interactive dashboard packed with useful widgets and integrations.

Background and Inspiration

This project has been a labor of love, spanning over four years of continuous development. It all began with the simple idea of controlling my Philips Hue smart lights directly from the browser’s new tab page. Over time, it evolved into a fully configurable, feature-rich environment designed to streamline daily tasks and keep important information at your fingertips. Built as a Chrome extension, this dashboard now serves as my daily driver, and I’m excited to share it with the broader web development community.

Key Features and Functionalities

1. Customizable Embed Widgets
2. Embed any iframe by targeting specific webpage elements with CSS selectors

3. Example use cases include displaying live GitHub issues or stock market tickers directly on your new tab page

4. Essential Productivity Tools

5. Weather forecasts, world clocks, quick access bookmarks and grouped links, sticky notes for reminders

6. Smart Lighting Control

7. Direct integration with Philips Hue

8. Manage scenes, toggle individual lights, adjust colors, and switch scenes through intuitive right-click menus

9. Entertainment Shortcuts

10. Launch Steam games or apps directly from your new tab, providing quick access to your favorite titles

11. Powerful Search Capabilities

12. Multiple search engine support

13. Records your recent searches locally for quick retrieval

14. Calendar and Scheduling

15. Seamless synchronization with Google Calendar to keep track of events and appointments

16. Highly Customizable Widgets

17. Create and configure widgets using JSON settings

18. Modify appearance with custom CSS for a truly personalized look

19. User-Friendly Onboarding

20. Optional welcome screen upon initial load to guide new users

Availability and Access

This extension, named New Tab Widgets, is available now for Chromium-based browsers through the Chrome Web Store. You can explore its capabilities and install it using the following link:

Download from Chrome Web Store

Learn more about the project and see screenshots on the official website:

Visit the Website

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