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December 23, 2011

Firefox 9 released with 36% increase in JavaScript performance




By Gregg Keizer, December 21, 2011 12:18 PM ET
Computerworld - Mozilla on Tuesday shipped Firefox 9, claiming that the new browser processes JavaScript up to 36% faster than its predecessor.
The company also patched six Firefox vulnerabilities, and released a security update to the nearly-two-year-old Firefox 3.6 to quash a single bug there.

Firefox 9, released six weeks after November's Firefox 8, uses a technology called "type inference" in its SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine to generate native code more efficiently using the JaegerMonkey JIT (just-in-time) compiler Mozilla first added to Firefox last March.

The result: Firefox 9 renders JavaScript -- the backbone of many online games, content-rich websites and advanced Web apps -- between 16% and 36% faster than Firefox 8, according to results Mozilla posted from Mozilla's Kraken, Google's V8 and the widely-cited SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test suites.

Mozilla also tweaked Firefox's Interface on Mac OS X 10.7 to support Lion's two-fingered swipe gesture for navigating backward and forward through already-viewed pages or sites.
The Windows version did not spot any noticeable interface changes.
As part of the upgrade to Firefox 9, Mozilla also patched a half-dozen vulnerabilities, four of them rated "critical," the company's highest threat warning. The other flaws were rated "high" and "moderate."
The most serious of the six was actually a bucket of 23 memory bugs that developers found and fixed in the core browser engine.

"Some of these bugs showed evidence of memory corruption under certain circumstances, and we presume that with enough effort at least some of these could be exploited to run arbitrary code," Mozilla wrote in the accompanying 2011-53 security advisory.
Mozilla also released Firefox 3.6.25, the latest security update for the still-supported 2010 browser, re-patching a single flaw on Mac OS X that was originally -- and incorrectly -- addressed in late September.

Firefox 3.6 may be on its last legs: On Dec. 1, Mozilla offered those users a newer edition in an attempt to move them to the rapid-release schedule that produces an upgrade every six weeks.
It's unclear how successful that offer has been -- Mozilla hasn't released its own data -- but statistics from Irish metrics company StatCounter showed that Firefox 3.6's share has dropped by eight-tenths of a percentage point since the first of the month, more than during all of November.
Firefox still does not sport the long-promised "silent update" mechanism that will put it on par with Google's Chrome, which upgrades itself without any user interaction.

Silent updates, which have been on Mozilla's radar since the summer of 2010, have been again delayed, according to the company's website: The final piece of the service is now slated to appear in Firefox 12, currently set to release in April 2012.
At the same time that it shipped Firefox 9 for desktop computers, Mozilla also released a new Android version of its browser that features a reworked interface for smartphones, and its first designed for tablets.

Firefox for Android can be downloaded from Google's Android Market.
In other news, Mozilla and Google yesterday announced that they had penned a new search contract that pays the former for assigning the latter's engine as the default search provider in Firefox.
Windows, Mac and Linux editions of Firefox 9 can be downloaded manually from Mozilla's site; people running Firefox 4 or later will be offered the upgrade through the browser's own update mechanism.
The next version of Firefox is scheduled to ship Jan. 31.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at Twitter@gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed Keizer RSS. His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9222925/Mozilla_launches_Firefox_9_speeds_up_JavaScript?source=rss_internet&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+computerworld%2Fs%2Ffeed%2Ftopic%2F211+%28Computerworld+Browsers+News%29

Firefox 9 has been released today (is already available for download via direct links but the website hasn't been updated yet) with improved JavaScript performance (by 20 to 30%) thanks to Type Inference, some additional HTML5 and CSS support, support for querying Do Not Track status via JavaScript and the usual bug and stability fixes. More info, HERE.



 

What's new in Firefox 9

 

The latest version of Firefox has the following changes:

Firefox 9 will be available as a security update via the official repositories for Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot and 11.04 Natty Narwhal users, but if you don't want to wait, you can already install it by using the Ubuntu Mozilla Security PPA:


sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-mozilla-security/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install firefox

For Ubuntu Lucid and Maverick, Firefox 9 should be available in the Firefox Stable Channel PPA soon: "ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable" (in fact, the packages have already been built successfully, but publishing has been disabled for the PPA for now).

Until the Mozilla website is updated to provide the latest Firefox 9, here are direct download links: LinuxMac and Windows.


Also see: Firefox Beta Channel PPAFirefox Aurora Channel PPA and Firefox Nightly Channel PPA (can be installed side-by-side with the latest stable Firefox).


Source: http://www.webupd8.org/2011/12/firefox-9-released-with-improved.html

December 10, 2011

Web Browser Competition Winner: Firefox 7

Tom's Hadware Guide did their annual web browser Grand Prix analysis and Firefox 7 won this time around. See the highlights below and a link to the article. IE9, Firefox 7, Opera 11.51, and Chrome 14.

Benchmark Analysis

12:00 AM - September 30, 2011 by Adam Overa
130
We dropped the placing tables for performance, reliability, efficiency, conformance, and total placing. The Web Browser Grand Prix is now at a point where each category of performance testing is summed up properly in the analysis table, mostly thanks to composite scoring. Reliability is a single test, and therefore pretty easy to follow. Efficiency has its own conclusion on the corresponding page, and the conformance composite grade is the best way to track that outcome. Total placing is now totally irrelevant due to the addition of multiple composite scores, and tallying total placing at this point would be a step backwards.
The analysis table is now the only way to score each contender. In the event of an analysis table tie, going back to the individual benchmarks and looking at the scale of victory between browsers breaks the even finish.

Analysis Table

WinnerStrongAcceptableWeak
Performance Benchmarks
Startup TimeChromeOperaFirefox, Internet ExplorerSafari
Page Load TimeChromeSafariInternet ExplorerFirefox, Opera
JavaScriptChromeFirefoxInternet Explorer, OperaSafari
DOMOperaFirefoxChrome, SafariInternet Explorer
CSSChrome, SafariInternet Explorer, Opera
Firefox
FlashInternet Explorer, Opera, Safari
Chrome, Firefox
JavaFirefoxChromeInternet Explorer, Opera, Safari
SilverlightOperaChromeFirefox, Internet ExplorerSafari
HTML5Internet ExplorerFirefoxChrome, Opera, Safari
HTML5 Hardware AccelerationInternet ExplorerFirefox
Chrome, Opera, Safari
WebGLChromeFirefox
Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari
Efficiency Benchmarks
Memory Usage: LightInternet ExplorerFirefox, SafariChrome, Opera
Memory Usage: HeavyFirefoxSafariOperaChrome, Internet Explorer
Memory ManagementFirefoxChrome, Internet ExplorerOpera, Safari
Reliability Benchmarks
Proper Page LoadsOperaSafariChrome, FirefoxInternet Explorer
Conformance Benchmarks
HTML5ChromeFirefox, OperaSafariInternet Explorer
JavaScriptFirefoxInternet Explorer, ChromeSafariOpera
DOMAll 5



Without further adieu, let's crown the Web Browser Grand Prix 7 champion.

The Crowning Of A Champion

12:00 AM - September 30, 2011 by Adam Overa
130
In the closest conclusion this series has ever seen, Mozilla is finally able to take the crown, earning its first Web Browser Grand Prix championship with Firefox 7. Although Firefox has two fewer wins than Chrome 14, Mozilla's browser manages to earn three more strong finishes than Chrome, which we consider sealing the deal, if by only a hair.
Enjoy it while you can Firefox fans; Google doesn't like to play second fiddle for very long. In fact, we wouldn't be one bit surprised if a "minor" update that happens to contain a performance game-changer is pushed to Chrome within days (or hours) of this publication.

Chrome 14 obviously places second; no surprise there. The big surprise is our third-place finisher. It's not Internet Explorer 9! Rather, Opera finally breaks out of fourth place and grabs the bronze medal. IE9 simply lost too many times, allowing Opera and its "minor" .01 update to swoop in for the kill.

Alas, Safari places last yet again. Safari for Windows, that is. If Web Browser Grand Prix VI: Firefox 6, Chrome 13, Mac OS X Lion taught us anything, it's that the rules of physics, common sense, and everything else you hold dear don't apply on Apple's own OS X platform. Over there, Safari is still king.

There you have it folks, another Web Browser Grand Prix in the bag. Stay tuned to Tom's Hardware for more. We have a few special twists up our sleeves for Web Browser Grand Prix 8 and beyond.

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/firefox-7-web-browser,3037.html



October 19, 2011

Hear Web Text with Google Chrome Speak

Google Chrome has just fronted a new extension called Chrome Speak; a text reader for web content on the Google Chrome search engine. This will read highlighted text out loud. Whether from sheer laziness, bad eyesight, or just a desire to have a text reader on your browser, it is an interestingly accurate feature. You could easily listen to a Wikipedia entry while getting ready for work or entertain a room of friends with the feature so that you don’t have to read interesting tidbits aloud or have everyone crowd around the screen. These are hypothetical scenarios, of course. The ultimate point is that Chrome Speak works and it works fairly well.

What is meant by “fairly” well? It is the typical text reader voice; monotone and perpetual. As a result, certain segue in the text sound like a run-on sentence or a period that would normally bring appropriate pause is missed. Ultimately, the reading is understandable and you can work with it. For hearing information, it does serve a purpose.

Sometimes spending long hours in front of a computer screen can strain the eyes and you might want to take a break and still get the information from lengthy text. This Google Chrome extension will do the trick. Listen to long articles read aloud while resting your weary eyes. This is also useful for taking notes from lengthy text. While it is read to you, you can take information and jot it down without having to pause. Simply select any text on any webpage and Chrome Speak will read it out. You are able to customize the rate, pitch and volume of the reading voice. There are multiple languages supported and this feature can also be used offline if needed.

To download the extension, use the following link. It takes seconds and the installation is completed. To use Chrome Speak, click on the earphone icon in the upper right portion of the toolbar.

chrome speak

This will open a menu for the extension. This menu is what you will use to set speed, volume and pitch.

google chrome speak

There is a field in which you can copy-paste or write text to hear. Click the speak button to hear the entered text. Select the “More options” option to set the voice options.
The Windows 7 default is a single digital voice called Microsoft Anna, a female voice with an American accent (generalized). You can add voices and select any of them from the drop-down menu in speech properties. The text will be read in any language selected, as long as it is supported by the extension.

The basic use involves a simple highlighting of text on a given page. Highlight the text that you want to have read and then right-click the highlighted field and choose “Read the selection text” to initiate the reading. You will start listening immediately at this point. Use the context menu, accessible from another right-click on the highlighted field or from the earphone icon, to select Stop to cease the reading.

The extension will stop on its own once it has reached the end of the highlighted text. Chrome Speak offers support on Windows, Mac OS X, and Chrome OS and uses native test-to-speech capabilities provided by these operating systems.

Source: http://www.ghacks.net/2011/10/19/hear-web-text-with-google-chrome-speak/

Related Articles:

Let Opera speak to you
Popchrom, Create Text Shortcuts In Google Chrome
How To Add Languages That You Speak To Google Chrome
Google Voice Extension For Google Chrome
Google Maps Locator For Google Chrome

October 1, 2011

Chrome Remote Desktop Control Plug-in

Google just added a unique plug-in to their Chrome & Chromium browsers to allow you to control another PC via their Chrome browser. It is in beta right now. 


Below is information from the Chrome Store on the plug-in:


Chrome Remote Desktop BETA is the first installment on a capability allowing users to remotely access another computer through the Chrome browser or a Chromebook.

The goal of this beta release is to demonstrate the core Chrome Remoting technology and get feedback from users. This version enables users to share with or get access to another computer by providing a one-time authentication code. Access is given only to the specific person the user identifies for one time only, and the sharing session is fully secured. One potential use of this version is the remote IT helpdesk case. The helpdesk can use the Chrome Remote Desktop BETA to help another user, while conversely a user can receive help by setting up a sharing session without leaving their desk. Additional use cases such as being able to access your own computer remotely are coming soon.

Chrome Remote Desktop BETA is fully cross-platform, so you can connect any two computers that have a Chrome browser, including Windows, Linux, Mac and Chromebooks.

Stay tuned for future updates!


Then install the Chrome Remote Desktop Beta extension by going to the link below.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gbchcmhmhahfdphkhkmpfmihenigjmpp





During the installation you will be asked to authorize the app to have access to view your email address, view your remote desktop computers, and view and send chat messages.



After it’s installed, open a new tab in Chrome and click the Chrome Remote Desktop BETA app.



Click share this computer and a 12 digit code will be generated for you.



This is a one time code that someone can use to access your computer.
From the other computer, click access a shared computer and type in the first code (spaces are not necessary).



Give it a little bit and the tab will change to the other computers desktop. While in this mode, the computer being shared can either push the disconnect button, Ctrl+Alt+Esc, or close the Google Chrome tab to end the session.



If you have trouble connecting to the remote computer or it hangs when saying verifying access code, try allowing ports 443 and 5222 to have inbound and outbound rules in your windows firewall using both UDP and TCP.


If you need further help check out Google’s help page on the extension below.
Google Chrome Download


September 27, 2011

Firefox 7 Released Today

Download Firefox 7 Final



Download Firefox 7 Final


After several Beta builds, Mozilla has announced everyone’s anticipated, Firefox 7.0 Final release.
To address recent (and not so) complaints, Firefox 7 has drastically reduced its memory usage and fixed several stability issues. In addition to that, Mozilla’s open source web browser also includes a few new features:

- A new rendering backend to speed up Canvas operations on Windows systems
- Bookmark and password changes now sync almost instantly when using Firefox Sync
- Support for text-overflow: ellipsis
- Support for the Web Timing specification
- An opt-in system for users to send performance data back to Mozilla to improve future versions of Firefox. This can be enabled by installing an add-on
Download: Firefox 7.0 for Windows
Download: Firefox 7.0 for Linux
Download: Firefox 7.0 for Mac OS



Source: http://www.favbrowser.com/download-firefox-7-final/

September 26, 2011

Chrome 15 Browser to get interface change

Google Chrome Web Browser to get a makeover

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols | September 25, 2011, 8:52am PDT
Summary: Google’s Chrome Web browser’s interface is getting a modest, but significant, makeover to make it more usable.






Chrome 14 is great
, but the forthcoming Chrome 15 looks like it will be even better. This release, which is now in beta, boasts three new tab pages. These will make it easier to get to your Chrome apps, most visited sites, and bookmarks.

The new Chrome 15 tab pages appear in three different sections on the bottom of all Web pages. You can flip between these different sections by clicking the section labels at the bottom of the page or by using the arrows at the side of the page. When you open a new tab, Chrome will default to opening the last tab page you had on.
It’s a simple change, but it’s one I’m already finding very useful. In particular, I appreciate having one click access to my bookmarks. The one change Chrome made to the traditional Web browser that I hadn’t liked was the way it placed bookmarks under the wrench. This made going to a bookmarked site, if it wasn’t one of my top sites, a three-step operation. Now, even without a bookmark bar, I just have to make one click and I’m able to browse my bookmarks. For me, this is a real change for the better.

Chrome 14: Pretty and Fast. (Gallery)

Not everyone likes this change. A lot of people want a floating bookmark bar, but I don’t see it myself. Google 15 still lets you have a fixed bookmark bar, so I don’t get what all the fuss is about. That said, I think Google needs to improve the bookmark tab’s looks. Still, I’ve no doubt that Google will clean this up. This looks exactly like the kind of cosmetic problem that you expect to see in a beta release.

The new tab pages also let you re-arrange apps on a page by dragging and dropping them. An even better feature, if you have a lot of Chrome apps, is that you can now create a new apps section by dragging an app to the bottom of the page until a new apps section appears. You can then name the section to something that works for you–Games for Chrome Games; Work for Google Docs and Google Mail; Entertainment for Google Music and YouTube and so on.
In addition, the JavaScript Fullscreen application programming interface (API) is now enabled by default. This means just what it says. You’ll be able to run some JavaScript applications as full-screen applications.

Finally, the Omnibox History, a history of everything entered into the Address/Search bar, can now be synced between Chrome browser instances with Google Sync This will let you sync your Chrome search history across multiple PCs and other devices.
The bottom-line is that the Chrome Web browser is continuing, ala Chrome OS, to become an easy-to-user interface for anything that you might want to do on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. I’m going to be watching it closely to see where it goes from here.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/google-chrome-web-browser-to-get-a-makeover/1499

Related Stories:

Chrome 14: The best Web browser keeps getting better (Review)
Google Chrome Web browser kicks rump, takes names
Chromebooks Live!
Google adds off-line mode to Gmail, Calendar, Docs apps
Firefox 6: A Firefox too far? (Review)

August 23, 2011

5 Alternatives To The New York Times That Are Still Free

posted on April 6, 2011 by

The New York Times is now behind a paywall, but it’s not the only newspaper on the Internet. If you’re looking for a free alternative to the Grey Lady there are more than a few that offer quality, well-written reporting.

Consider yourself a regular New York Times reader, but can’t afford to pay for a subscription? You’re not alone, but sadly you’ll only be able to read 20 articles a month. There are certain exceptions of course, but for the most part you’ll need some sort of subscription to read regularly.

Not just any paper offers an alternative to the Times, of course; that publication’s readers will expect a certain level of quality. The list below attempts to include only the best alternatives the web has to offer, so keep reading to see if you can’t find a new homepage.

The Washington Post

better than new york times
This is an obvious place to start. The Washington Post has long been the New York Times’ main domestic rival in the United States, competition that’s made both papers better. The two newspapers have long competed for scoops, but with the Time’s new paywall, the Post will probably pick up a lot of web traffic. We’ll see whether that’s actually the case or not, but for now it’s worth taking a look at this paper’s homepage and finding out if it fits your regular reading needs.

The Guardian

alternative newspapers

World famous following their recent collaboration with WikiLeaks, UK paper The Guardian has slowly been building up readers around the world with their in-depth international reporting. Expect to find well-written reporting over a wide range of subjects. As a newspaper that seems dedicated to building up its brand internationally via the Internet, it’s unlikely The Guardian will be behind a paywall anytime soon. Probably not an alternative to the Times for domestic politics in America, but it’s still worth checking out.

The Christian Science Monitor

alternative newspapers

It’s hard to explain why this paper isn’t better known. Consistently engaging and comprehensive, the Christian Science Monitor is perhaps best known for its feature articles but also manages to keep its readers up-to-date. This paper is consistently excellent, and great for those who like longer reads. Don’t let the name confuse you; this is a secular newspaper with a commitment to objectivity and fairness.

The Economist

alternative newspapers

Read by some of the most powerful decision makers on the planet, The Economist is well known for its international reporting and analysis. Though decidedly a publication that sees the world through a liberal, pro-capitalism and pro-globalization lense, The Economist is also an excellent source for hard news from around the world. Of particular interest are their in-depth reports on important stories, and (for our readers) their quarterly reports on current trends in technology.
The full table of contents for the print edition is behind a paywall, but it seems that all the content is free to access from the website. An interesting strategy, to be sure.

NPR

better than new york times

OK, so NPR may not be an alternative to the New York Times in many respects. Primarily a broadcasting outlet, NPR is sometimes better known for its shows about fictional small-town Minnesota and car repair than it is for its journalism. Don’t let that fool you; NPR does a lot of quality reporting, making its website a great place to look to keep up with world events.
Even better, there’s the NPR Web App for reading and listening to all of the day’s top stories. It’s the closest rival to the amazing NY Times app I’ve found so far. Or if standard websites are more your thing, click here to read NPR.

Conclusion

There are plenty of hacks for reading the New York Times for free; following them on Twitter, for example. Also see, 5 Ways To Get Around The New York Times Paywall. But as The Onion recently pointed out, there’s nothing inherently absurd about a newspaper trying to charge for content. Producing quality content isn’t cheap, after all.
But for now, lots of publications are giving the content away for free. Let me know what alternatives you like best in the comments below, or just discuss what you think the Times new paywall means for the industry.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-alternatives-york-times-free/

August 21, 2011

4 Great Craigslist Search Engines To Make Your Searches On The Site Easier




posted on May 17, 2011 by

This has advantages, but one disadvantage is the lack of a great search function. It can be hard to find specific items on Craigslist, particularly if you’d like to search multiple locations at once. Let’s take a look at some Craigslist search engines that solve that problem.

Search Tempest

craigslist search engines

Search Tempest separates itself from most Craigslist search engines right off the bat by providing an interface that actually looks professional instead of like something a teenager might have coded ten years ago.

Once you start using it, Search Tempest proves to be slick and handy. The front page interface lets you type in what you’re looking for, where you’re looking for it, and also define the specific Craigslist category you want to look in (if any). The search results are then provided per-city listed on Craigslist within your search radius.

I suspect that this search engine might run slow on older computers, because it seems to have a lot going on in the background. Otherwise, it’s an excellent search engine.

Crazedlist

craigslist search

The idea behind Crazedlist is that some Craigslist search engine results might be blocked because of information already stored in your browser. When you visit Crazedlist, the site actually provides instructions that will help you achieve the best search results. It’s very handy if you’ve been having issues with other search engines.

Crazedlist also features a prominent Worldwide Search feature that works essentially the same as the United States search, but of course lets you search in countries across the globe. This site could probably use some interface improvements – it makes excessive use of checkboxes – but it’s still one of the better options available.

Search All Craig’s

craigslist search

As Craigslist itself proves, sometimes the most basic option is the best option. Search All Craig’s takes advantage of this theme by presenting little more than a plain white page with a search field attached. Put whatever you want in it, and search all of Craigslist!

OK, so there is just a little more to it than that. Once you search you can narrow down your results further by region. But really, that’s all the features there are to be found. While this may make specific searches more difficult, the benefit is a site that returns results almost instantly.

CraigZoom

craigslist search engines

Another fairly basic site, CraigZoom is quick and has a “search all Craigslist” function, but also offers more options that Search All Craig’s.
These options are off to the left and they include things such as location (by state) category and price (when applicable). You can choose to search only titles and only posts with images, as well.

Basically, this is just a redesign of the Craigslist site that makes it possible to embark on a new search in an entirely different location without hitting your browser’s back button.

Conclusion

I tried to cover all of my bases here, but I didn’t cover Craigslist search applications. These are not search engines you open in your browser but instead programs you download. An example discussed here on MakeUseOf is CraigsList Reader. Although downloading an application to search a website might seem a bit odd, you should give it a shot, because it’s quite effective.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-great-craigslist-search-engines/

August 20, 2011

6 Simple & Stylish Note Taking Browser Apps [Chrome]


6 Simple & Stylish Note Taking Browser Apps


posted on June 15, 2011 by


I would probably go with QuickFox on Firefox. Let’s take a walk through the  Chrome Web Store and see what options it can throw our way. Quite a few stylish ones in fact; let’s look at these six stylish note-taking apps for the Chrome browser.

Quick Notes

chrome note taking extension

If you look at the user figures for this chrome note taking extension, you can figure out its popularity. The slick app gives you one click access to your notes with a right click on any webpage. You can sync it online with a Diigo.com account and access the notes from anywhere. As Diigo is also a mobile friendly app, you can get to your notes from devices like iPhone, iPad, and Android too. All notes are searchable. Notes also get auto-tagged with the current date.

Chromepad

chrome note extension

Chromepad doesn’t give you the ease of right-click access but it allows you to put down your notes in the little interface which pops up when you click the icon near the address bar. The note is stored locally. You have to use keyboard controls to copy-paste text. This extension is less stylish but more simpler in its execution.

Notes

chrome note taking

This Chrome app is definitely one of the coolest ones on note-taking you will see around browsers. Creating a note is as simple as clicking the ‘+’ sign and pasting or writing on the sticky which comes up. You can change the color, highlight it with a red ribbon mark, and arrange the notes around as they snap on to the grid layout.

Sticky Notes

chrome note taking

When it comes to Chrome utilities, this one clocks in at around 2MB. Think of it as Post-it notes for your browser. You can configure each note by color and font-size. You can play around with the appearance of the background (for e.g. give it a corkboard look), and also arrange the notes by dragging them around or placing them on a grid. You also drag the corners and re-size the notes. Notes are saved automatically.

Note.It

chrome note taking

This Chrome app takes advantage of the capabilities of HTML5 and gives you a stylishly slick interface to work with. It also has substance because it gives you some formatting controls you can apply on your text. The screenshot shows and explains what you can expect from this note taking app. You can star your important notes; use ordered and unordered lists; use indents; use bold, underlines, italics, and strikeouts to enhance note-taking; and insert pictures too.

Web App Note

chrome note taking extension

With a Google account, you can synchronize your notes and access them from anywhere with this extension. This app also introduces advanced formatting functions along with features like helping you create tasks with to-do lists. You can use priority markers on your to-do list and set reminders. A little feature enables you to add tables inside a note. Being connected through a Google account enables you to synchronize your events with Google Calendar. The good thing about this app is that you can also upload-download files from your Dropbox account. Also, you can straightaway send a note as an email to any email account.
Of course, there are a few more extensions that you will find in the Chrome Web Store that handle notes. I have left out the commonly known but quite often regarded as the best note-taking app – Evernote Web from the list. You can though check it out. Also read through all the posts we have on the app. Which from the above list would you pick for your Chrome browser?

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-simple-stylish-note-apps-chrome-browser/

107 Best Websites Review

From the editors of MakeUseOf.com

107 Best Websites On The Web


Here you go, the best 107 websites for all your needs. We’ve taken the effort to categorize the websites and picked only those we believe to be the best ones and which will most likely be useful to you. Spread the word!
Folks, share this page with friends!
102digg




By Category:
Music Movies Photos / Albums News/Reading
Online TV Productivity Socialize Online Video
Security/Privacy Online Shopping Local Stuff Browsing Aids
Books Finances Software Downloads Ask Questions
Search Engines Learn Stuff Files & Documents I am Bored
Others

MOG (USA only)


The most-praised music site. For ony 5$ a month MOG gives you access to 10 million CD-quality songs. Access and play songs from computer, iPod, iPhone or Android phone. Recommended! [View]

iTunes Store


Massive online store for music, movies, TV shows, apps, games and audiobooks. Buy stuff to play on your Mac or Windows computer, iPhone or iPad. [View]

MakeUseOf tips for iTunes store.
Pandora (USA only)


New age online radio. Enter a song or an artist you like and Pandora will play similar songs in a playlist. Vote on individual songs to further train Pandora about your tastes. [View]

Best tips for Pandora users.
Grooveshark


Excellent music search and streaming service, allowing users to listen to favorite music free of charge that can be played immediately or added to a playlist. Over 100 million track plays per month. [View]

See some cool Grooveshark tips.
Last.fm


Last.fm keeps a record of what you listen to on your computer or iPod. Then, based on your tastes, it recommends you more music and concerts as well as connects you with like-minded listeners. Extremely popular [View]

Read MakeUseOf Last.fm review
Spotify (avail. in 8 countries)


Download free Spotify player to your computer and get access to over 13 million tracks. Any track you like, at any time. Create as many playlists as you like. [View]
ZumoCast


Stream music and videos stored on your computer from the iPhone, iPad, and any other computer; without the need to upload anything. [View]
Google Music (USA only)


Upload up to 20,000 songs from your personal music collection to listen from any computer or on your phone, even offline. All for free. [View]


IMDB


Most popular online source for everything related to movies. Moview ratings & reviews, various top rated lists, HD movie trailers, news and lots more. [View]
Netflix


Leading online subscription service for movies & TV shows. For only $7.99 a month, members can instantly watch unlimited movies & TV episodes. [View]

Check out Netfilx tips.
Hulu (USA only)


On demand streaming of TV shows and movies. Lots of free stuff. But for an unlimited access you will have to pay. 100% Legit. [View]

Check out our Hulu tips.




Flickr


Best photo sharing site on the net. Upload photos from PC or mobile. Share photos with friends, see their photos and add comments. [View]
Instagram


An easy way to share photos with friends on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr from an iPhone. [View]
Picnik


Easily edit your photos online. Resize or apply ready effects. Upload photos from PC or your social profiles. [View]




Google News


Automatically collects breaking news articles from popular news sources and sorts them by topic and popularity. [View]

Check out our Google News tips.
Google Reader


Most popular RSS reader online. Lets you Easily follow latest updates from favorite sites on a daily basis. Highly recommended. [View]

Get Google Reader cheat sheet.
Popurls


Popurls nicely presents highest voted stories, pics and videos from the most popular social news sources as well as highly regarded news sites on a single page. [View]
JimmyR


Check out what’s currently popular on the web on a single page. See latest buzz in News, Tech, Pictures, Videos, etc. [View]
Hacker News


Social news website site for technology stuff or “anything that gratifies one’s intellectual curiosity”. Users submit links. Submissions can be voted up. Highest voted stuff appears on top. [View]
Reddit


Cool news source for interesting and offbeat stuff. Users submit and vote on the links to interesting stories and decide, through voting, what’s good. Highest rated links appear on the homepage. [View]

See 5 cool things about Reddit.
Wikileaks


Controversial non-profit organization that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified information from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. [View]


BBC iPlayer


BBC iPlayer is an internet TV and radio service developed by the BBC. Watch live BBC TV or catch up on the last 7 days of BBC programmes. [View]
LiveStation


Watch over 20 top international news channels online. There is a desktop player that lets you watch those channels right on your desktop. [View]
Myp2p.eu


Watch live Football, MLB, NHL, NBA, Cricket, Tennis etc. events and games online. It also offers a downloadable client that can be installed on your desktop. [View]



Evernote


The only app you will ever need when it comes to taking notes. A “note” can be a piece of text, a webpage, a photo, a voice memo, or a handwritten “ink” note. Organize, annotate, edit, and search notes. [View]

Check out 7 ways to make use of Evernote
Gmail


The best online email service. Lots of useful fetaures not found elsewhere. Extremely fast. Plus, we have a cheat sheet for it. [View]

Get our ultimate guide to Gmail.
Nudgemail


Your must-have email companion. Forward any email to NudgeMail and it will send it back when you want it. It can remind you about that email in an hour, day, month, or even a year. [View]
Google Voice (USA only)


Enhance the capabilities of your phone, regardless of which phone you have. Single number that rings you everywhere. Online voicemail. Free calls and text messages to the U.S. & Canada. [View]

Read, 5 cool things you can do with Google Voice.
Google Calendar


Online calendar from Google. Create multiple calendars. Share calendars. Get event reminders via email or SMS to your mobile phone. [View]
Wakerupper (USA, Canada)


Wakerupper is the web’s easiest telephone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls on the web. It couldn’t be simpler. [View]
Remember The Milk


One of the very first and leading online to-do list manager. Store and manage tasks. Get reminders via email or SMS. Share tasks. Works even offline. [View]

See, 8 ways to manage tasks with RememberTheMilk.


Facebook


No need to explain this one. You might want to check out a MakeUseOf Guide on Facebook privacy though. Includes best Facebook privacy tips. [View]
Twitter


This one doesn’t require a description either. If you’re on Twitter or planning to start using it make sure to check out out Twitter guide. [View]

Download the complete guide to Twitter.
Tumblr


Extremely easy way to start your own blog. Post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio. Users may set their blogs to public or private modes. [View]

See, how to easily start a blog with Tumblr.
LinkedIn


Social network for prefessionals. Find past and present colleagues. Discover inside connections when looking for a job. Ask industry experts for advice. Over 100 million users. [View]
Pipl


The most comprehensive people search on the web. Search for people by email, name, phone number or even username. [View]
Meebo


Chat with friends on AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, GTalk etc. in a single buddylist, right from your browser. Includes features like games, video chat, file transfer and conversation history. [View]

Check out 8 reasons to use Meebo.


YouTube


Everyone knows about Youtube. MakeUseOf covers cool tips for Youtube on a regular basis: from top stand-up comedians to most disliked videos. [View]
Vimeo


Video-streaming site of choice for creative types. Basically it is the place for shorter and artsier clips. [View]
KeepVid


Allows you to download any Youtube video in 3GP (mobile), FLV or MP4 (iPhone, iPod, iPad etc) formats. Includes a single click download bookmarklet for any browser. [View]




OpenDNS


OpenDNS is the easiest to setup internet safety and parental control suite. Control which websites are being accessed in your home. Block unsafe and adult websites. Over 20 million users. [View]
HideMyAss


Free online proxy and Premium VPN service provider to surf anonymously and bypass blocked websites. Hide your IP, secure your connection, access Facebook where it’s blocked and more. [View]
Mailinator


Next time you need to signup for something where you don’t want to reveal your real email just use any Mailinator address. Then go to the site and retrieve the email. [View]
LastPass


Excellent password manager that you should be using. Features include 1-click login, form filling, automatic sync between browsers and more. [View]
Reputation


Control what’s being said about you online. It removes your personal info from websites that sell it, alerts you about content that exists online about you as well as tell you who is searching for you. [View]


Newegg


Popular online marketplace for everything computers and software. Best prices for hardware and software. Its slogan is “Once you know, you Newegg.” [View]
Amazon


Buy everything from electronics to clothing at affordable prices. Amazon gives you chepaest offers for each product as well as used ones sold by previous owners. [View]
Etsy


Primary online marketplace for handmade or vintage items. These items cover a wide range including art, photography, clothing, jewelry, edibles, bath & beauty products, quilts, knick-knacks and toys. [View]

PayPal


The most popular payment system online. Paypal makes it safe and easy to send and receive payments online. Counts nearly 250 million users. [View]
Woot!


The first and extremely popular one-deal-a-day website. Woot offers one discounted item each day, often a piece of computer hardware or an electronic gadget. [View]
Zappos


Founded in 1999, Zappos has grown to be the largest online shoe store. Next time you need to buy shoes try Zappos. Lots and lots of great feedback from users. [View]
eBay


One of the most popular shopping destinations online. Ideal marketplace for used as well as new products in every category. Available in several countries. [View]
Craigslist


That terribly-designed and mind-blowingly useful classifieds site. Whether you are looking for friends, a job, an apartment, a hair stylist, or a ride, you will find it on the site. [View]

Check out 7 most popular items sold on Craigslist.
WatchCount


Discover which eBay items have attracted the most interest and see how many people are watching them. Bargain hunter. [View]
ChinaBuye


Buy gadgets and other electronic goods directly from China. Worldwide shipping. [View]
FatWallet


Popular deals and coupons site. Browse deals by category, store, or today’s best. [View]


Groupon


Cool deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates and coupons usable at local shops, restaurnats, service providers and more. [View]
LivingSocial


LivingSocial sends you one fantastic deal every day with discounts of up to 90% at one of your local restaurants, bars, spas, theaters, and more. [View]
Yelp


Fun and easy way to find and talk about great (and not so great) local businesses near you. Check out local restaurants, bars, shops and see real reviews from users like you. [View]
Urbanspoon


The ultimate destination for restaurant reviews. Check out best restaurants in your city for you favorite dishes. Read reviews from critics, food bloggers and friends. [View]
Foursquare


Discover cool places in your city. Restaurants, shops, bars and pretty much anything that has something interesting to offer. [View]


Symbaloo


Symbaloo gives you a nicely designed and easy to use startpage for the web. It’s like a favorites bar on your browser but nicer. It holds your favorite sites as well as a number of useful web tools. [View]

Check out, Create Your Own Virtual Learning Environment Using SymbalooEDU.
iGoogle


Get yourself a custom online startpage from Google. Your startpage can have everything from latest articles from your favorite websites to weather reports, stocks, games, daily jokes, calendar and lots of other cool widgets. [View]
Diigo


The only bookmarking tool you will ever need. Easily bookmark and organize webpages, highlights, notes, screenshots etc. Access your bookmarks from anywhere. [View]

See 7 reasons Diigo tastes better than Del.icio.us.
Instapaper


Awesome tool that allows you to save interesting pages or articles you come across online for later reading. You may then read those articles at home, or during commute on your mobile.[View]

Check out: Manage your bookmarks and reading list with Instapaper.
Google Translate


By far the best online transaltion tool. Allows you to translate text or webpages while you browse them. [View]
TinyURL


Create a tiny URL for long links that are too long to be included in the emails or elsewhere. TinyURL can create a short link for any page you are currently at. [View]
JustPaste.It


Simple online clipboard. Copy and paste any piece of text and instantly get a private web link to share that text with friends. Supports text styling and images. [View]
StumbleUpon


Stumbleupon shows you cool stuff discovered by people like you. You select topics that you find interesting and start stumbling: every click on the Stumble button takes you to some interesting site, photo or video. Pretty cool. [View]


Project Gutenberg


Over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android or other portable device. Choose between ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats. [View]
GoodReads


Probably the largest social network for book enthusiasts. Keep track of what you’ve read and what you’d like to read. Highly recommended by book lovers. [View]

Check out Goodreads review.
ManyBooks


This free website offers nearly 30.000 ebooks in many different formats. Whether you want to read the ebook on your iPad, iPhone, smartphone or ebook reader, you can get it here. [View]
Pixel of Ink


Must-bookmark site for Kindle owners. Lots of free and well discounted books for Kindle. There is something called Bargain Bin where you will find Kindle Books that are highly rated yet a bargain at under $1. [View]
DailyLit


Read books only short parts a time. Choose a book you want to read and you will receive short installments by email or RSS daily (or days your prefer). You may read books on any computer or mobile device. [View]


Mint (USA, Canada)


Fully automatic spending tracker and budgeting tool. Mint tracks your budget, monitors your spendings, advices on how you can save, and lots more. Highly recommended. [View]

Read: Use Mint to manage your budget & spendings online.
Yahoo! Finance


Top financial news and research website in the US. Get stock quotes, stock exchange rates, corporate financial reports, and check out popular message boards for discussing a company’s prospects and valuation. It also offers some hosted tools for personal finance management. [View]
Pageonce


Another good service to manage your budget. Watch account balances, track bills and payments, monitor credit card purchases and deposits, stay in the loop with real-time alerts, etc. Optimized for mobile usage. [View]
Wikinvest


Wikinvest helps you make the most use of your online investment portfolios. The benefits include getting real-time market data, portfolio analytics, thorough research on companies and more.[View]
Google Finance


Google’s alternative to Yahoo Finance. More or less similar feature set but not as popular. [View]


MakeUseOf


MakeUseOf maintains its own top 100 best software lists for Windows and Linux. Check them out. [View]
CNET Downloads


Biggest software download resource on the web. Users may browse software by popularity and/or category. Includes both free and commercial software. [View]
SourceForge


Biggest online repository of open source software. Nearly 300,000 free open source programs. [View]
FileHippo


Another popular software download portal. Unlike Download.com it comes with simpler user interface. [View]


MakeUseOf Answers


Whenever you have a computer problem or need an assistance on anything tech head on to MakeUseOf Answers. We have an active community that answers 95% of all posted questions.[View]
Quora


Quora is a place to ask anything you have on your mind and get answers. Users may answer as well as vote and suggest edits to already posted answers. You may follow sertain questions and only get to see discussions on topics that interest you.[View]






Google Search


It’s Google. Enough said.

Cheat Sheet: Must-know Google Search Shortcuts
Wolfram Alpha


Cool answer search engine that answers factual questions directly rather than giving you a list of webpages that might contain the answer. [View]

Check out, 10 searches to throw at Wolfram Alpha on a regular basis.
Torrent Butler


Torrent search engine for movies. Comes with a cool user interface as well as the option to filter results to HD quality only. Useful. [View]
Torrentz


Torrentz is a free and powerful torrent search engine combining results from dozens of popular torrent search engines. Over 15 million torrents indexed. [View]


TED


Watch inspiring talks and presentations by remarkable and highly successful people on various topics. Includes some of the best presentations ever made. [View]
Khan Academy


What once was only a handful of algebra lessons now turned into a library of over 2,100 quality educational videos on various subjects including math, physics, biology, test preparations and educational talks and interviews. [View]
Wikipedia


Free encyclopedia and your quick reference guide for everything built collaboratively by people like you. [View]
Qwiki


Qwiki is a one of a kind search engine. Get the results in a visual list and a video on the go summarizing those results – with computer generated female voice narration. Users can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Literally. [View]

Check out Qwiki in detail.
National Geographic


The NatGEO’s corner on the web. This sites brings you some of the most interesting articles as well as some really amazing photos on a daily basis. [View]
Instructables


One of the first how-to sites on the web. Find easy instructions on how to make all kinds of cool stuff ranging from anonymous survelliance cameras to home-made potato bazookas. [View]
WebMD


Your online reference to health and better living. [View]


Mozy


Fully automated program to backup your files. Set it up once and forget about it. Mozy will keep a backup of selected folders online and regularly sync them without bothering you. [View]
SugarSync


File sync and online backup for all your devices including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry and more. The files can be easily shared with others as well. [View]
Dropbox


Dropbox lets you sync selected folders between your computers. Any file you save to Dropbox also instantly saves to all of your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website. [View]
SkyDrive


Store, edit, and share Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files online. You may also store and share all or some photos and videos with friends. Store up to 25 GBs for free. [View]
Google Docs


Store and share documents, spreasheets and presentations online. Edit and view your docs from any computer or smartphone. Collaborate on documents with others. [View]
Zamzar


Extremely easy to use online file converter. Here you may convert office documents (doc, docx, pdf etc), images, audio and video files and ebooks between different forrmats. Recommended. [View]
YouSendIt


YouSendIt makes easy to email large files. You may send files and folder up to 2GB in size in one go. [View]


Cracked


Hugely popular humor site with stories often going viral on Facebook and Twitter. From saddest things people do to look smart to things gay people are going to hate about gay marriage. [View]
The Onion


A popular entertainment magazine featuring satirical news articles and videos. [View]
Kongregate


Lots of additictive flash games that will kill your free time. Browse games by category, check out top rated, earn achievements, chat with other players and enjoy active user community. [View]



Wunderground


Get a comprehensive weather report with a-7 day forecast. Check weather using your zip code, city, state, airport code or country name. [View]
Google Maps


Get directions from one place to another. Get custom routes based on how you plan to commute: by car, train, walking or bicycle. [View]





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Disclaimer: All services listed were thoroughly reviewed. MakeUseOf is not responsible for any damage and/or data loss
that might result from use of any of the above mentioned websites.


Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-websites