Posts Tagged
browser
Tablets and smartphones have homescreens filled with apps, while more traditional computers have start menus or docs or search tools to find the apps you need. With web apps, though, it seems the best way for most of us to find apps is with random links in our bookmarks or just by googling the app every time we need it.
Users of Google’s excellent browser Chrome know how fundamental the new tab page is for keeping up with web apps, especially as Google’s focused more on the Chrome Web Store. However, while the standard new tab page is useable, it is lacking in terms of customization and is missing some pretty basic features. Speed Dial 2 is a free Chrome extension that not only fixes these problems, but makes the new tab page beautiful.
Computers are interesting devices. They’re easily one of the most influential inventions mankind has ever produced, and are crucial to almost everything we do today. From smartphones to tablets to Google’s massive servers around the globe, computers come in all shapes and sizes and are used for a mind-boggling array of tasks.
What sets apart computers from the wheel, hammer, engine, and other major inventions of humanity is the varied ways a computer can be put to use. They can calculate the amount of fuel needed to get to the moon, animate characters and render picture-perfect landscapes, and let you talk with friends around the globe. Computers don’t do this on their own, though. The special thing is the software or apps that run on them. Without software, computers are simply black boxes.
So what makes one type of software different from another? Why would you choose web apps over native applications, and why does it really matter?
There’s no question that one of the premier features of the Firefox web browser is extensions. Since Firefox’s inception they’ve been a part of what differentiated it. And even now, when every major browser on the market offers some kind of plugin architecture, the depth and quality of Firefox’s add-on catalog still reigns supreme.
The best part of Firefox’s add-on community is its continued dedication to creating new and exciting things. We’ve rounded up 20 Firefox extensions you may not have heard of before. Perhaps a couple of perennial favorites made our list too, but for the most part we’ve culled together some of the latest and greatest that the add-on community has to offer.
In this cross platform, web app driven, fully integrated world, we are always looking for ways to get our information faster, get notified quicker, get up-to-the-second updates, and do more without having to bounce around to different websites. It’s why we use RSS, it’s why we use Twitter, and it’s why we have a ton of apps on our phones and a bunch of widgets on our desktops. In my search for better integration, I overlooked a fairly simple solution for accessing my web apps- the browser. Yes, I still go to facebook.com or groupon.com to get my updates, but I never thought of looking to the browser for a tool that integrates my webapps together.
ALOT offers exactly that- a simple, browser driven solution for easily checking your favorite web apps and bringing information to you.
Envato’s community and member base is made up of a diverse bunch of people: writers, designers, developers, video makers, editors, etc. The majority of us have projects which entail many jobs, normally organized by some sort of to-do list or checklist
Launchlist is a solution aimed at website designers and developers who have predetermined goals in a project. In Launchlist, you can create a project and set a list of tasks which can be checked off as time goes on. These tasks are mainly oriented around pre-launch (as the name suggests) website testing, although the app can be adapted to most needs.
Mozilla’s Paul Rouget made a splash on the web this week with the question, “Is IE9 a modern browser?” and a most definitive answer, “NO”. The post makes a great argument as to why IE9 is “more modern, but not really modern.”
And of course the post’s accompanying infographic is well worth checking out for a more visual perspective on the subject. Microsoft responded with several valid points of their own on the subject, adding more heat to the continual browser wars.
Many of us are biased for one reason or another, while it’s difficult for others to really say what a “modern browser” is since it isn’t clearly defined. Personally, I’m biased and don’t believe IE9 will be a “modern”, competitive browser for any other reason than it’s what has been used for so long, by so many, but IE — I can only hope — will continue it’s market share decline.
What do you think? Is IE9 a modern browser? Once fully released, do you think it will compete with Chrome, Safari or Firefox?
While we can just take a look at W3schools’ browser stats page to find current browser usage, it doesn’t quite tell a true story for individual sites’ users. Tech sites will have far different browser usage stats than other types of sites and I’d love to find out what our awesome readers prefer.
Today Google launched their new Chrome Web Store which further gets me wondering what ratio of our readers are Chrome users. Personally, it’s hard to say which browser I use more between Safari and Chrome. I divide my browsing between these two browsers based on several different factors such as general browsing, work, editing, Flash video viewing, etc.
Which is your most used browser and why? Will you be using Google’s new Chrome Web Store? Are browsers (one or multiple) your most used applications?
Social networks have changed our digital lifestyle. A major chunk of our activities online, like consuming news, multimedia, shopping, recommendations etc., have undergone a paradigm shift thanks to the social web. Links and likes from Facebook and Twitter influence our day to day decisions.
While there are plenty of splendid, free plugins and dedicated apps available for staying on top of the social graph it’s hard to beat the convenience and multi-tasking capability of a web browser. For those of us who think social media plugins are a bloat on system resources, an all new social browser has been unleashed into the interwebs.
Read on for more about RockMelt and how it can enhance your social experience.
Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or not, there’s always a new and exciting game in development that when you hear about it, you’re eager to play. This is the case with Quake Live and while it’s not necessarily new, I think the game speaks for itself in terms of the wow factor.
Developed by one of the world’s top game developers, id Software, the pioneers of the great Quake series, comes Quake Live – a great first-person shooter game that can be played without leaving the web browser. See what I’m raving on about inside the article.
Browser-based games certainly don’t rival console or computer games, either in capabilities or the number of people playing them, but they’re certainly growing in popularity. Facebook has likely had a big role in the uptake of browser-based games thanks to several immensely popular titles that have even made their way onto mobile platforms like the iPhone and iPad.
OnLive.com was initially described as being browser-based gaming, though now the mention of “browser” seems to have disappeared. However, it’s still a revolutionary new way to play online games though a browser-like interface. It’s one service that could keep me from ever buying another console or regular desktop game again, once it develops enough of course.
I’m interested in finding out how many of our readers frequently play browser-based games, only occasionally, or maybe not at all. If you do play browser-based games such as the ones on Facebook, through OnLive or even ones we’ve previously mentioned before, let us know in the comments. Thanks!
