Crenk

Yesterday Google’s new browser, Chrome was announced so today I downloaded and installed it onto my work Windows XP box to see what all the fuss is about and check for cross compatibility on sites we work on.  I spent about 5 minutes poking around, if I can’t figure out how to use a browser in 5 minutes, it’s too complicated for anyone but the most 733t 1337.

Download was very small; it then opens an applet and downloads the rest of the software.  Installation requires Firefox to be shut down so Chrome can import all your bookmarks, favorites, history and passwords; this goes quickly and rather painlessly.  Next you get a TOS about reporting options for crashes, I denied their request and the install was complete.

Upon launching Chrome for the first time an unusual question is asked, “Do you wish to keep Google as your default search engine?”   It’s unusual in that, it’s a Google product and the first thing about this new killer app is to strip out Search, the one thing Google does very, very well.  I selected to keep it.

All my bookmarks and history imported, what didn’t was my homepage.  I’m a long time iGoogle user and rely on the RSS feeds to get me caught up quickly at a glance to what is going on with the sites I follow.  Not there.  Instead six white boxes stare at me.  A little note tells you that these are your most visited sites.  Nice idea, but not for me.  I easily look at 50+ sites in six different tabs of iGoogle.  There is no apparent way to set a traditional “homepage” only what Google wants you to see.

The other thing lacking is an option to show the status bar.  I rely on the status bar while at work and home to see where any link will take my, by hovering over it.  There are also several add-ons for Firefox that sit in my status bar that I’ve come to love, from what I can tell in Chrome, there is no status bar option.

On the plus side, it is fast.  How fast?  I don’t have scientific numbers or pretty pie charts, but it really feels fast.  One site that I know uses a fairly common Java plugin to run an app wouldn’t work and there was no option to install it but everything else on the dozen or so sites I quickly browsed seem to work.

Is Chrome the next killer app?  Hard to say now, Firefox has such a loyal, loving fan base to it, but I think this could compliment it very well.

Google to launch a web browser today to 100 countries, and it will be named Google Chrome. There is a lot of buzz already about this new product and Im sure you have probably already read about it on Techcrunch, AllthingsD, Sizlopedia and more.All of this was just a rumour until it was confirmed by the Official Google Blog.

For a long time now there have only really been 3 key players in the online browser market, IE, Firefox and Safari (MACs). I’m very interested to use this product today and see how it compares to all these other browsers.

For a long time also Google has been funding Mozilla by paying to have their search engine as default in the browser, so if Google Chrome becomes popular and out grows Firefox, will they still pay top dollar to be the default search in Firefox?

Searching is big business. Those listings on the right side of any Google search are there because someone paid money to advertise there. Same goes with the top 2 or 3 links. Google makes a lot of money off of these paid placements, which are there based on their dynamic search technology. Google has also come under fire for the way in which it ranks sites, called Page Rank, it is a top secret way they calculate what search results should be at the top for any given term, based on their algorithm that, some have suggested, is based on the number of in-bound and out-bound links from other sites.

Google is the killer app of this decade, no one is doubting that. It is so popular it has become a verb, people just say, “Can you Google this for me?” which is almost impossible to do with anything anymore. So what if a new search engine comes along and tries to flatten the playing field?

That is exactly what Cuil (pronounced Cool) is trying to do. They claim to index three times the number of sites Google does and display them in a three-across pattern. That alone is kind of unique for searches, as they have always gone vertically. They have also implemented tab searches, a kind of, well maybe if you were looking for camera you might also want to look for digital camera. The search engine works, that really isn’t a question, but why should I use it?

Google does so many things now, like simple and complex math problems, fast weather look-up, package tracking from UPS and other services, all the way to stock quotes and word definitions. For me, it has eliminated the need to go to specialized sites if I can just put a special query in the Google search bar in Firefox. Cuil is also missing an image search function, something even Microsoft and Yahoo have worked into their site.

Cuil has some cool features, like roll overs, drill-down menu’s and the tabbed feature mentioned earlier. They are taking on the proverbial 800 pound gorilla by going after Google too. My two cents say that Cuil will have a small cult following for a while but ultimately, this will only make Google stronger.

For those us who desk jockey, day in and day out, it’s tough to stay focused on work all day long. A few of us get sidetracked to read personal email or do personal web searches in order to break the monotony of the daily grind.

Here are a 4 Firefox plug-ins to keep track of that time and stay on task. Nothing is worse than realizing that you just blew an entire day on surfing rather than working. Keep these tools close at hand to prevent any effects on your job performance.

1. MeeTimer
MeeTimer is probably one of the most effective plug-ins for tracking time that I have found. MeeTimer will not only time your time wasting, but also can provide you a report where you spend your time to give you a better idea of how to properly make corrections. The thoroughness of this plug-in can truly assist in correcting time wasting habits. Warnings have also been placed to warn you prior to going to a new address or loading a new tab.

2. TimeTracker
TimeTracker is a comparable plug-in to MeeTimer in terms of usefulness. TimeTracker is much simpler, and focuses more on tracking your time, as opposed to providing direct reports. Still this plug-in offers some attractive additions. TimeTracker allows you to input “work” sites that should not count towards the tracking, so your clock will actually stop as long as you are on those listed sties. Time also pauses when you are taking a break from surfing, and the clock will provide you a daily report as to where you are spending your time. You can reset your clock daily or track an entire work week, depending on your needs.

3. LeechBlock
The LeechBlock plug-in comes at you with an interesting approach. It asks you to type in all the sites you want blocked. That’s right, it will block from sites, and it even allows you to designate days and times to keep them blocked from you. An interesting approach, but I would have far too many sites to include on that list. I like the approach of TimeTracker much better by adding the sites that you actually need for work, as those are sure to be fewer and easier to remember. It also tracks your time to provide you with an accurate view of where you spend your time.

4. Procrastato
This plug-in cuts to the chase! No fancy reports, no time tracking, it doesn’t even care if you like the way it works or not. Procrastato does one thing, and one thing very well. Once you input the sites you spend most time on, the plugin will monitor you very effectively. Spending more time than you should on any of the listed sites and you get smacked down with a massive alert informing you that you are wasting time and they are watching (not literally watching you but the eyes they show you are creepy). If that does not disrupt your time wasting, then you are doomed to waste time forever!

Photo Credit, sugu

ReminderFox

This neat little plug-in goes for simplicity. While not necessarily an official “to-do” application, I find it almost necessary for those that seem to forget the important dates. People that forget birthdays, anniversaries, parties, and other date based events, ReminderFox will send out an alarm or an alert to remind you of what’s coming up. This plug-in has no aspirations to be a full calendar application, but rather makes its home at the bottom right of your browser ready to announce the days you NEED to remember!

ToDo Cue (experimental)
ToDo Cue unfortunately was very buggy in my use of this plug-in. It relies on the user creating simple, let me stress that again…simple, to-do lists. Once installed a side bar will appear in both your Gmail and Gcal accounts with the lists of things to-do in priority order. I was only able to get sustainable functionality with the older version of Gmail, which did me little good as I have updated it. There are a lot of other tools that do the same with better results. This plug-in needs more work, but remember, it is still labeled experimental, just not sure if it will ever be ready.

Todo Reminder
I found this to be the plug-in with the most potential. Currently the plug-in is very effective with event reminders. Things like parties, birthdays, get togethers, anniversaries, etc. What I loved about it is that alerts not only come via email, but you can set yourself up with SMS alerts. If more than one person is involved, take it further by setting up group alerts. This will make sure everyone is on task and aware of what is coming up. I especially found the one mouse click addition through emails and pages very effective when needing to list something quickly. The site says further development is needed, but I think this little plug-in has a great future in the productivity field.

Delegate to Remember the Milk
A lot of you have heard of Remember the Milk. If you’ve not, no worries, Remember the Milk (RtM) is simply another way to create your to-do lists with functionality with both web apps and mobile apps. There are a great number of power users for RtM, and as such, this plug-in is very popular. For starters, if you follow the GTD (Getting Things Done) philosophy, then this plug-in will be very effective. A “remember” button is added to all of your emails for quick task managing directly from you email. No bothering with cut and paste, simply click and the message is tasked into your RtM account. Yes, it’s that simple!

GTD Inbox
GTD Inbox is a plug-in that tries to do a whole lot. Unfortunately in this endeavor it tends to fail on a lot of fronts. This plug-in completely changes the face of your Gmail inbox by adding the functionality of GTD (mentioned above). For hardcore GTD’ers, the layout will be very familiar with intuitive clicks to productively manage all of your information. Similar to the RtM plug-in, you have a button that will take your emails and place them into your task list. You have the ability to create labels, ticklers, and build the productivity method that best suits your needs. This productivity juggaurnaut is definitely not an entry level “to-do” plug-in and may confuse first time users of GTD. A little buggy with newer versions of Gmail, but useful if you can understand it.

There are more I am sure, and even more being created for Firefox 3, but share your favorite To-Do Plug-ins here and let’s all get more done.

Not that long ago I wrote a review for Firefox’s Fireshot, and downloadable plug-in for the Firefox browser. It’s a great tool while surfing online to capture and save items that interest you, but most effective with sharing with others. Jing is similar in that it will do screen captures, but this capture software lies outside the Firefox browser, so you can capture items from your desktop.

Jing was created by TechSmith, creators of SnagIt and Camtasia. I found the name a little awkward, but the application proved it’s worthiness by being able to capture screen shots AND video from your computer, and even share them directly from the same interface with little to no problems at all.

To start off Jing installs and appears as a yellow half circle at the top of your screen, this is your interface. The options show up as tentacled spheres extending from the main half circle. Whether you’re surfing the net, trying to record motions on your computer, or remember how to do something, Jing will capture it. A grid will appear with an x&y axis being where your pointer is. Once you’ve selected a start point you simply drag and highlight the area you want captured. It’s that easy, and you’ll always know what you’ve captured. Once you’ve made your selection, you have editing options to the side that will allow you to markup your capture similar to the tools that FireShot offers with their app.

Capturing video is just as easy, only you don’t get a grid. What you do see is a play/pause button and the time elapsing. You can mute volume if need be, but the more you record, the longer it will take to share with others, due to file size.

Overall Jing was a decent application with it’s uses. If you don’t already like the settings, too bad, because changing settings is pretty sparse when it comes to the program. Other than making selections on the functions you want Jing to have, there is not much altering you can do.

Jing offers online storage, and in celebration of their one year birthday, they are now offering up to 2 GB of storage plus 2 GB of transfer. Premium versions of the application will be coming soon!

Image via Wikipedia

Twitter seems to be all the rage. I used to be a naysayer, but have found great uses for it, both for internal business and personal marketing and networking. Despite the scaling issues that plagued the program a month ago, Twitter seems stable thus far and gaining support in terms of users.

Here is a list of the top Twitter add-ons for Firefox:

TwitterFox: The most popular for a very large margin. The add-on places a Twitter icon at the top of your browser which can alert you when your friends update their stream. There is also a field for you to type your latest updates, preventing you from having to visit the site itself. Very handy for the busy Firefox user!

Twitterbar: An interesting add-on. Rather then take up valuable browser real estate, this add-on places a gray Twitter icon in your search and become active when you click on it. You are then able to post your message directly to your Twitter account. If you leave your cursor over the icon your letter count appears giving you an idea of how much more you can type. Does not give you status updates for your friends.

TwitKit 1.0: TwitKit places a side bar onto your browser which can be opened can closed at your request. This add-on offers tabs which breaks down your account by various categories to few specific information. You can type your updates and submit through the window, as well as view all recent updates by your friends. An aspect of this add-on is that you can customize it, though it’s a little restrictive.

Twitzer: Tired of the 140 character limitation? No worries, Twitzer offers you an opportunity to type what you want and post it. The add-on will take your text, summarize it, offer a link for your friends to click on so they can read the full text version. If you want to share more with less, then try out Twitzer!

I am an avid user of Firefox’s add-on Fireshot, especially since most of my work is design related. In my search for a Skitch like counterpart for the PC, Fireshot was the answer.

Fireshot is simply an add-on, not an entire program, which makes it’s ease of use appreciated. Once added to the Firefox browser, a Fireshot symbol is placed next to your search bar. Unlike other screen capture software, Fireshot allows you a multitude of options the first two being whether to capture just the viewable portion or the entire page.

Once captured Fireshot offers a bevy of tools to make edits to the screenshot. This advantage sets it apart above and beyond the competition. The capture can be edited to include highlighting, circling, adding text to point out information, and other such annotations. Numerous file formats are available when saving the captures (PNG, GIF, JPEG, BMP)

This add-on is most useful for testers and designers, but even more useful for those writing instructional copy. Photo inserts can now be marked up and labeled to further increase the effectiveness of the material.

Fireshot can be downloaded here!

By: Luis Sandoval

Okay, laugh if you must, roll your eyes at worst, but it did not take me all night to think of that title. How could I refuse, it was too easy!

So ATT has jumped into the browser market with Pogo, and their first foray into the fight, let’s just say that this browser will leave a sour taste in your mouth, if not a hole in the wall where you put your fist through in frustration. Let me at least point out that this browser is still in beta, and while not available to the public I am skeptical that much will change from what I see.

Here we go!

Installation: This browser is not for the faint of heart. Jokingly amongst my friends we stated that if you did not pay 2k for your computer or more than bow out and save yourself this frustration. A bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but this monster requires a 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and a video card with at least 256MB of VRAM. Ladies and Gentleman, let me just say that even with the minimum you might be forced to destroy a small country in anger with how sluggish it can run. If you have more than the requirements good for you, enjoy the experience, but it seems a little steep just to run a browser don’t ya think?

Downloading is not as bad as the actual installation itself. The process is long and tedious and rather than just walking away, it will check your system, offer suggestions, and update if necessary. At some point it may say your system is not up to par, and if so you have the option to bow out, but why they would even allow you to click continue is beyond me. They have requirements for a reason, and if not taken seriously you will desperately wonder why you allowed that time in your life to be wasted…literally.

Interface: Now that you’ve had this monstrosity installed, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. For starters, Pogo thinks that it needs to be so different that icons and naming conventions should be entirely different to what users are expecting. Buttons are not easily recognizable in terms of functionality, and instead of tabs for the pages, they are called “cells.” Each of your “cells” is tabbed at the bottom instead of the top, and instead of a tab, you get a thumbnail version of the actual page you are on. WARNING: One or two “cells” might be okay, but anything over that really taxes your system’s resources.

You cannot import your bookmarks, from what I could tell. Perhaps it’s an option that I overlooked, but the bookmarks that I did make are instead viewed in a coverflow-like window that practically made my computer want to explode. The flow was sluggish and lagged at times that I almost wanted to just throw the computer out the window. Luckily, since there is a minor similarity to  FireFox in terms of what’s behind the scenes, a quick button combination (Ctrl-I) puts the listing in textual format. While coverflow looked pretty it did nothing to enhance the experience for practical use.

Final Thoughts: I hope, I can only hope that ATT is still a long way off from finalizing this product. The size and it’s downfalls will sink this browser quickly. It’s a pretty web browser, that is a fact, but it’s not enough to save it. I personally would never use this browser for everyday use, especially in the state that it’s in. Again, this browser is in beta, but right now FireFox and all it’s plug-ins are find for me. With ease of use, easily recognizable features and buttons, and compatibility across the board for MAC and PC, I prefer to stick to what I know…for now.

Pogo was a no go for me. I uninstalled it and hope to never experience frustration like that again. Innovative yes, practical…nope!

Yesterday we wrote about Firefox 3 and potential themes that you can download, but today we are going to talk about one of the most popular add-ons on Firefox 3, Foxytunes. Foxytunes is currently owned by Yahoo and improved a lot in the last 6 months or so.

Foxytunes lets you control almost any media player and find lyrics, covers, videos, bios and much more with a click right from your browser.

Foxytunes can either be download from their website or via the Firefox add-on section. Either way this free download is a must for all web users!