How to Optimize Your Chromebook for Use Offline

While Google has steadily touted Chrome OS as a cloud-centric operating system, the platform's ability to work with offline apps is steadily growing, and that is making Chromebooks much more flexible systems than they were before. On the Chrome Web Store, you can find many apps that work offline, including QuickNote for note taking, Videostream for Chromecast, and more. Google has even recently given Chromebook users a way to watch Google Play Movies and TV offline.

In this post, you'll find good resources for arming yourself with the best offline apps for Chrome OS.

In  a recent post from Google, the company announced the offline movie and TV watching functions: "The new Google Play Movies & TV Chrome app makes your favorite movies and TV shows on your Chromebook available any time, anywhere - even without a WiFI connection. http://goo.gl/L8VUzf In addition to offline mode on Chrome OS, it also brings Info Cards and an improved Chromecast and local playback experience to anyone watching movies through the Chrome browser."

Of course one of the best ways to find offline apps that will be right for you is to browse the Chrome Web Store's offline app section, found here.  There are apps for creating high-end charts, learning piano, editing video, and much more.

Computerworld has a useful slideshow of 15 top apps for Chrome OS that work offline, available here.  Among the apps, Business Process Simulator analyzes and optimizes how processes work, and Gliffy Diagrams lets you produce some remarkable diagrams and flowcharts.

ZDNet has a similar collection of useful offline tools.

Google has also been building offline features directly into Chrome OS, and into tools that orbit Chrome OS in the cloud. The company has added automatic offline Drive document syncing in Chrome and Google Keep for online or offline notetaking. And, Google has provided Gmail and Google Calendar offline features for several years.