SpiderTab

Let's face it, New Tab Pages are quite boring. Still, the consensus is "better boring than distracting," as most of us prefer a blank New Tab page on our browsers than something displaying millions of flashy ads, irrelevant news, and so forth.

SpiderTab is one of the many Google Chrome extensions out there that promise to change the New Tab Page for the better.

However, while other similar extensions usually ad various functionalities (such as calendars, clocks, news sections), or try to catch your attention with various quotes and backgrounds, SpiderTab keeps things a lot simpler.

To be more precise, SpiderTab allows you to set up your favorite webpages as split-screen New Tab Page layouts, and that's pretty much all there is to it.

Well, for starters, installing SpiderTab can be accomplished as easily as one might expect: just go to the Chrome Web Store, and install the extension with just a few mouse clicks.

To add new pages, simply click its icon on Chrome's toolbar, and add the specific sections. Please note that you can actually add any number of webpages, however, the drawback is that their previews are going to be "compressed" in a single New Tag Page which might make things feel and look a bit awkward.

Still, the extension works quite well with three or four entries, striking a fairly good usability balance. While navigation is possible on the respective websites is possible directly from SpiderTab's "new tab GUI," it's worth noting that this also feels a bit cumbersome, for obvious reasons.

SpiderTab is a nice, little Chrome extension that brings something a bit new to the whole "transform-your-New-Tab-Page" and "become-more-productive" typical approach. It may not be for everyone, but for those who want to have a direct preview of their favorite websites when they open a new tab, it definitely fits the bill.