Google's Chrome Web Store comes to India: Our 5 fave apps

If you want to experience tablet apps without the tablet cost, you’ll want to check out Google’s Chrome Web Store , which was launched in India this week.

The web store was one of several of programmes that Google has introduced in India. It also rolled out its YouTube partner programme here , which gives video makers a chance to fund their dreams by adding ads to their work.

The Chrome Web Store allows users to find extensions and themes for Google’s Chrome web browser and, since December of last year , provides web apps, including games, media and productivity apps.

The apps leverage the next generation web technologies of HTML5 but also can use Adobe’s Flash or Microsoft’s Flashlight . To help make the apps run smoothly, Chrome uses WebGL, a technology that allows the browser to use a computer’s graphics hardware to handle complex visual processing tasks. Google has also done a lot of work to speed up Javascript as well, so apps feel smooth.

[caption id=“attachment_74777” align=“alignleft” width=“300” caption=“Games and HTML5 web apps can be downloaded from Google’s Chrome Web store”] [/caption]

Now that the store has come to India, here are five of our favourite apps:

Audiotool : When I was clicking through the web store this week, this app came up in the featured section, and I installed it. Wow. If you’ve ever dreamed of mixing your own tunes but didn’t want to splash out on pro software, this is the app for you. Full of samples and effects, this visual audio mixer will give you a chance to create your own acid jazz, techno or dubstep tunes. This will really show you what’s possible with web apps.

Tweetdeck : If you’re addicted to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, then you’ll want this app. Tweetdeck allows you to manage all of your accounts and tap into advanced features such as translation, all from within Chrome. It’s a great version of the desktop app giving you a great way to see all of your social networks in one screen and manage Twitter searches and lists as well as your Facebook account and pages.

Offline Gmail and Google Calendar : If you’re a heavy user of Google services, you’ll be happy that just a few weeks ago, the company launched versions of Gmail and online Calendar service as web apps that leverage the offline storage capability of the latest browser technologies. I have had a little bit of difficulty with Gmail switching between two different accounts I have, but it’s great to have my email conveniently available offline when I don’t have internet access.

Autodesk Homestyler : If you’re getting a new home or just want to give your current home a new look, you’ll want to check out this app. Once you’ve created your floor plan, you can choose “from nearly 22,000 generic and brand name items in the Autodesk Homestyler product catalogue” to see how they’ll look. You can also see how your rooms would look in different colours or with different lighting schemes. Once you’re done, you can save high-resolution snapshots and share them with friends, family or your interior designer.

WGT Golf Challenge : If you love to play the links, you’ll really love this very realistic golf game. The goal of the Golf Challenge is to see who can get closest to the hole. If you want to play the full game, you’ll want to download the WGT Golf Game . Both are free to download and play, but if you want to upgrade you’re clubs or balls, then you’ll have to pay, which has upset some reviewers.

That’s just our fast, fave five in the app store, but the app store is growing all the time. After you have tried the store, let us know what your favourite apps are, and we’ll do a round-up of your favourites soon.