Tag: Browsers

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Tips

Set specific websites to automatically open in Chrome’s Incognito Mode

Chrome users have a useful feature on the browser called Incognito Mode. It basically disallows information on the webpages you visit from being stored on the browser. It also deletes all new cookies after the incognito mode is closed.

This is useful for looking up websites without the need to clear caches all the time. But usually we need incognito mode only for certain websites.

Incognito This is a nice little Chrome extension that allows users to open a specified webpage directly in incognito mode. For instance whenever I type in ‘google.com’ in the address bar, I can set the page to open in incognito mode automatically

How it works!

  • Download the extension on your Chrome browser (the link is at the end of the post).
  • Once the extension is installed on your browser a incognito mode icon appears next to the browser omni bar (address bar).
  • Right-click on the icon and look up the options. In Options or the preferences of the extension, we can add a URL that is set to automatically open in incognito mode as seen in the image below.

Incognito This Chrome Extension - Options

  • Additionally we can visit any webpage and click on the extension’s icon and it opens the page in incognito mode.

Try out incognito this and drop in your comments.

Link: Incognito This

Categories
News

[Browser Wars] Every 1 in 3 Browser is a Chrome

The battle of the browsers is getting less fascinating in recent times and that is because Chrome seems to be simply unstoppable. Google Chrome overtook Internet Explorer to become the most used browser a couple of months ago, pushing out Internet Explorer to second place for the first time ever.  Lately even Microsoft has accepted that Internet Explorer was pretty much the browser everone loved to hate.

According to StatCounter, Chrome now has breached the important 33.33% mark.

It means that now very 1 in 3 internet user is using Chrome. The rise of Chrome is even more incredible when you consider it did not have a captive platform to grow on, unlike Safari and Internet Explorer. Maybe, if Windows 8 is a super-hit, then Internet Explorer might actually start making a turn around and arrest the slide in its numbers.

Chrome might be late into the game as a mobile phone browser, but it has started catching up with being available for Android and iOS users.

Are you a Chrome user? Do you think its rise could be challenged or stopped? Do drop in your comments.

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Reviews

Redirect New Tabs on Chrome to User Specified URLs

I have always liked customized productive Chrome start pages, but lately I have preferred to set the new tab to open to my list of bookmarks or my browser history.

Just download the New Tab Redirect extension on your Chrome browsers and look up its settings.

I usually prefer set the redirect to Chrome specific pages like looking the full list of Extensions, History, Downloads or my bookmarks.

Opening up my bookmarks manager as the new tab is actually a very productive tip and I personally found it better than any other customized new start pages for Chrome.

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The settings will allow you to choose a certain URLs which could be your favourite websites too but that can be done without the use of a extension.

Chrome also has some lesser known pages like looking up Plugins (chrome://plugins/) and Memory Cache (chrome://cache/) which are available in this redirection extension.

Bonus Tip: Type in chrome://about/url in the address bar to get a list of all Chrome URLs.

If you liked this extension, chances are you are a Chrome fan and might like looking up these widgets to customize the new tab page along with a host of other options.

Link: New Tab Redirect

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Reviews

Get News Feeds from Around the World on Your Chrome Startpage

Usually I avoid using the default start page (New Tab page) on my Chrome browser. I prefer using a customized one which allows a bit more productivity.

As I love keeping in touch with news and updates from around the world, I found New Tab Feeder a great way to get News feeds from reputed websites on the start page itself

News Feeds on Chrome Startpage

New Tab Feeder: Options

  • As the above screenshot shows, users can constantly look up headlines from different sources.
  • Most importantly users can search within the headlines from the search bar.
  • The design is simple and background images can be sourced from Instagram.

I found this extension very useful if you are interested in the news. In case you want something more productive with the ability to leave yourself notes on the startpage, you might like looking up Incredible Start Page.

You might also like to readup these 5 great apps to customize your Chrome’s start page.

Try out New Tab Feeder and drop in your comments.

Link: New Tab Feeder

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News

Google releases Chrome for iOS platform

Chrome browser has taken great strides as a browser on our desktops. It started a journey on mobiles phones with Android. There were rumours before that Chrome will show up for iOS users.

Today, at Google I/O Chrome has been released for the iOS platfrom.

Chrome for iOS Feautures: The good, bad and ugly

Chrome app on iOS allows users to sync their bookmarks, browser tabs open across devices. Chrome app also is available for iPhone and iPad devices. That was the good part.

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The bad part is it will be slower that Safari which is native to iOS platform. Chrome also cannot be made the default browser on your iOS, because Apple does not allow any other browser except Safari to be the default browser. This means if you click a link in your email, only Safari will open and not Chrome.

Now for the ugly reasons on why Chrome will be slower than Safari on iOS. Chrome was not allowed to use its own fast V8 JavaScript engine but had to use UIWebView. UIWebView is forced on all developers as a sand-boxed version of Apple’s Nitro JavaScript version. This automatically renders all 3rd party browsers a lot slower than the native Safari.

Considering how dominant Safari is because of iPhone success on mobile devices, this move by Apple looks a lot similar to Microsoft when it tried killing browsers on its own Windows platfrom to protect Internet Explorers back in the late 90s.

I still think, a lot of Apple users who love Chrome will still use it, especially on iPad, where browsing with all your bookmarks and tabs synced could be useful.

Check out Chrome for iOS and drop in your comments and views.

Link: Chrome for iOS

Categories
Tips

Preview Google Fonts on Current Webpage You are Viewing

Web designers spend a lot of time looking up different fonts on their website that can be used. Fonts are very important for two reasons. First is that a good font allows users to read content on the website without any issue. Also the font styling usually should also fit in with the general theme of the website.

If you are using Chrome, Google Font Previewer looks like a great extension. It allows the user to look up different fonts and styling on the website you are viewing on your browser.

Google Font Previewer Features

Download the Font Previewer extension on your Chrome browser. Now while on any page your are viewing, you click on Previewer icon.

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  • A pop-up will allow you to tweak the fonts family and text styling to play around on the webpage your are viewing.
  • We can even specify a CSS selector and most impressively a HTML code is ready for developers to paste into their website.

If you are looking up fonts for your website – this extension is a probably the most handy one around on Chrome. Do give it a try and drop in your comments.

Link: Google Font Previewer

Related: 4 Tools to Compare Installed Fonts

Categories
Tips

Save Gmail Attachments to Google Drive with One-Click

I like using Google Drive a lot more because of things like backing up my photos from my Android to Google Drive drive (which even Dropbox can do). I also use a host of Google related services has meant I have started adopting Google Drive a lot more.

In a way a lot of people are already on Google Drive if they are using Google Docs. But Google Drive allows any type of file to be saved which makes it ideal to download attachments from my Gmail account.

I use Chrome and found Gmail Attachments to Drive extension very useful.

Features of Gmail Attachments to Drive

If you are using Chrome, simply install the extension. Simply sign-in to your Gmail account and look up an email which has a file attached to it.

As you can see in the image below, you will get a new option to ‘Save to Drive’ for the file..

It basically opens the web interface of your related Google Drive account to download it. Ideally I would suggest making a specific folder to move your downloaded attachements into to keep your Google Drive neat and organized.

I have been using this extension for a couple of days and unfortunately could not find a similar one for Firefox. If you do come across any Firefox add-on that does the same, do drop it in comments.

Link: Gmail Attachments to Drive – Chrome

Categories
News

[Rumour] Facebook Buying Opera Browser

Usually most discussions around browsers revolve around Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. Opera actually has never been very popular as a browser but it has a very loyal user base.

According to Pocket-lint, Facebook is rumored to be in talks of buying Opera. This would mean Facebook would have it’s very own browser.

Opera is used by 200 million people. But that is not something that would interest Facebook which is inching closer to 1 billion users.

Opera is the most popular browser on mobile platforms.

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What does Facebook gain?

Facebook would overnight gain a very successful mobile browser. Facebook has not be very successful with mobile phones. It is the reason it shelled out $1 billion for buying Instagram, which is a mobile only photo app.

Facebook also has a problem of not figuring out how to make money from mobile phone apps. Below is a graph from StatCounter, that shows Opera is the market leader for mobile phone browsers.

Overnight Facebook might end up with a popular browser on mobile and tablet platforms. This will be important in the years to come when more and more people end up consuming content on tablets or mobile phones rather than the desktop browser.

Opera Users might not be happy!

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I came across this discussion on Opera’s Forum, where users are not too happy about the prospect of their browser being bought by Facebook. Some threaten to quit using Opera and move to Firefox while others are wondering if Facebook acquisition would mean the end of privacy for users.

Some also worry if the browser will be more prone to attacks once it becomes popular as a Facebook browser and not just a browser with a small user-base.

On another note, I wonder where it will leave RockMelt which resembles a Chrome browser with Facebook extensions.

What are your thoughts on the rumor of Facebook acquiring Opera? Do drop in your comments.

Categories
News

Chrome Overtakes IE: Becomes most popular Browser Worldwide!

Browsers war at the desktop level seemed to be getting predictable. Developers might still swear by Firefox and some older Windows versions like XP, still have Internet Explorer as its best bet, most people are generally in adopting Chrome.

According to StatCounter, Chrome has overtaken Internet Explorer to become the most used browser worldwide.

Usage of Chrome is apparently 31.88% which is a slime lead over Internet Explore which has 31.49%.

One might wonder where Firefox is in this race, it is at third spot with approximately 26% usage.

What could stop Chrome?

Chrome does not give features or options which are entirely very different from say Firefox and dare I say even Internet Explorer. The difference lies in the simplicity of its options. The sync features, which can not just sync bookmarks and extensions but also browsing history or open tabs.

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Lately, Chrome is now available on Android and it is already seeing millions of installs very month. If Chrome makes it debut on iOS as expected, it might soon leave all other browser very far behind.

The only thing that could stop Chrome seems to be Google itself, just like Microsoft did with Internet Explorer, when they became complacent and stopped improving the browser.

What are your views on Chrome dislodging IE as the most popular browser? Do drop in your comments.

Related: Chrome is the most popular browser in India!

Categories
Tips

[TIP] Open Original Post Links Inside Google Reader!

Following a blog on RSS reader is a great way to keep track of your blog subscriptions. I literally follow hundreds of blogs and never feel overwhelmed thanks to Google Reader.

Reading a post on Google Reader is usually a great experiance, especially if the content is complete. Unfortunately sometimes the content is only a description or introduction and one has to click on the title link of the post to open it on a different tab of the browser.

If you are using Chrome, then you might find Google Reader Inline Extension quite handy.

Open Original Post Links Inside Google Reader

  • Install the extension on your Chrome.
  • Now open your Google Reader on Chrome browser and start reading your feeds.
  • Next to the title you will see a small icon to open the post link inside Google Reader.

You can also read up more tips on customizing your Google Reader here. Try out Google Reader Inline Extension and drop drop in your comments.

Link: Google Reader Inline