Google Maps Just Released The Greatest Chrome Extension Ever (Probably), Increases Your Productivity Approximately Zero Percent

Earth View is Google's answer to people who said opening a new tab in Chrome was not visually inspiring. They're out there, we swear. Google Maps

Want to see beautiful satellite pictures of the Earth every time you open up a new tab in Chrome? Of course you do, and Google knows it. So they released a Chrome browser extension on Tuesday to do just that.

It’s officially called “Earth View From Google Maps,” but they could’ve just called it “You’re Welcome.” It’s the modern day, cubicle-dwelling version of stopping to smell the roses, and it’s available now.

The beauty of Earth View is its simplicity: Open a new tab, see a picture of a mountain range or tropical island chain from from one of Google Maps' satellite photos. The pictures are beautiful, and they allow you to contemplate the beauty of existence. They also open surprisingly fast, too, with no apparent lag (for me).

In case you haven’t heard, extensions are simple add-ons that users can download to change the functionality of Chrome, or just about any browser. Personally, I use a bunch: one to add products from websites to my Amazon Wish List, one that puts tabs on “hold” and saves me a ton of memory (RAM), and another that allows me to control Chrome through a series of right-click mouse gestures that I really need to remove immediately.

Opening a new tab without the extension shows users a Google search box, which was unnecessary anyways as the entire address bar operates as one. It is also used to show a bunch of ugly thumbnails of your commonly-visited websites, but that's boring.

Do you love any other Chrome extensions? Which do you consider the best? Let us know in the comments below.