2011

Anonymous at November 18, 2011 0
I have sometimes wondered if people choose to use Google instead of Bing, just out of habit. I mean what is the big difference in their results. Google has a lot of options and small changes which make it intuitively great. These changes are usually not seen or understood all that well.

A great feature of Google is when we type in search query with a spelling mistake, it auto-corrects the query and shows relevant results. Bing also does that but according to a tip shared by Vineeth GS, it is not doing as good as Google.

Google Bing Search results thumb Why Googles Search Results Are Better Than Bing!

The query entered was ‘jquery sldiers” on both search engines. Both correctly offered to search for “jquery sliders” but the results being show is where the difference between Google and Bing is seen.

Google points to a link about jQuery Slider plugins and tutorials while the first link on Bing points to something completely unrelated.

It seems Google has auto-corrected not just the word, but it also auto-corrected it based on the context of the 2nd word in the query.

Bing does try to pull the occasional stunt of being innovating, especially by introducing features like a movie running in the background of it’s search page. This might be cool but adds nothing to getting the best results. While Google has features which are not that obvious but make the user-experience better even without the user realizing it.
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Anonymous at November 18, 2011 0
I have sometimes wondered if people choose to use Google instead of Bing, just out of habit. I mean what is the big difference in their results. Google has a lot of options and small changes which make it intuitively great. These changes are usually not seen or understood all that well.

A great feature of Google is when we type in search query with a spelling mistake, it auto-corrects the query and shows relevant results. Bing also does that but according to a tip shared by Vineeth GS, it is not doing as good as Google.

Google Bing Search results thumb Why Googles Search Results Are Better Than Bing!

The query entered was ‘jquery sldiers” on both search engines. Both correctly offered to search for “jquery sliders” but the results being show is where the difference between Google and Bing is seen.

Google points to a link about jQuery Slider plugins and tutorials while the first link on Bing points to something completely unrelated.

It seems Google has auto-corrected not just the word, but it also auto-corrected it based on the context of the 2nd word in the query.

Bing does try to pull the occasional stunt of being innovating, especially by introducing features like a movie running in the background of it’s search page. This might be cool but adds nothing to getting the best results. While Google has features which are not that obvious but make the user-experience better even without the user realizing it.
Read more »

Anonymous at August 06, 2011 0
The world of browsers has changed over the past few years. If you notice, most new features and updates are about Chrome in the blogging world. Firefox and Internet Explorer do get covered but a lot less.
This has been reflected in the growth of Chrome, along with the decline of Internet Explorer. Firefox seems to be stagnating and even declining a bit in the past six months.
Browser share jul2011 thumb Browser Wars: Chrome is the Only Browser with Growth!
Last year Internet Explorer was at 51% and has steadily declined to 42% by the end of July 2011. In the same time-frame, Firefox which was at 31% has also declined to somewhere around 27%. Chrome which was at 10% is now sitting at an impressive 22%.
This mean Chrome is the only browser which is actually growing.

Why is Chrome so successful?

Unlike Firefox and IE, which treat their browsers versions as reinvented new software released once a year, Google treats Chrome like ‘work in progress’. Small updates are made periodically every few weeks.
Chrome also has continuity for its users because of small but many updates. When people upgraded to Firefox 4, there was a big change from the UI of the browser to other features. The same could be said about Internet Explorer 9.
At the moment it seems like Chrome will soon become the most used browser, unless IE or Firefox comes up with something really different.
What are your views on the growth of Chrome and the decline of Internet Explorer? Do drop in your comments.
Source: statcounter
Read more »

Anonymous at August 06, 2011 0
The world of browsers has changed over the past few years. If you notice, most new features and updates are about Chrome in the blogging world. Firefox and Internet Explorer do get covered but a lot less.
This has been reflected in the growth of Chrome, along with the decline of Internet Explorer. Firefox seems to be stagnating and even declining a bit in the past six months.
Browser share jul2011 thumb Browser Wars: Chrome is the Only Browser with Growth!
Last year Internet Explorer was at 51% and has steadily declined to 42% by the end of July 2011. In the same time-frame, Firefox which was at 31% has also declined to somewhere around 27%. Chrome which was at 10% is now sitting at an impressive 22%.
This mean Chrome is the only browser which is actually growing.

Why is Chrome so successful?

Unlike Firefox and IE, which treat their browsers versions as reinvented new software released once a year, Google treats Chrome like ‘work in progress’. Small updates are made periodically every few weeks.
Chrome also has continuity for its users because of small but many updates. When people upgraded to Firefox 4, there was a big change from the UI of the browser to other features. The same could be said about Internet Explorer 9.
At the moment it seems like Chrome will soon become the most used browser, unless IE or Firefox comes up with something really different.
What are your views on the growth of Chrome and the decline of Internet Explorer? Do drop in your comments.
Source: statcounter
Read more »

Anonymous at August 06, 2011 0
If you are a web artist and have a penchant for checking out infographics or even creating them, then Visual.ly is a neat service 
.


Data can be visualised and understood a lot better when an infographic of it is presented. A infographic is basically a large poster like image, which presents data in a flow. Most people can learn a lot more from a infographic within minutes compared to reading about it.

Visual.ly Features

  • I could skim through several categories and look up relevant infographics or simply search on a topic. When you look up an infographic, it shows who created the infographic and where it was published.
Infographics explore visually thumb A Search Engine and Directory for Infographics Visually
  • If you register with an account, users can also register their work with Visual.ly. This could be a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog.
I liked the fact, that people who painstakingly create infographics have a single directory to share their work. It can also help reach out to the highest possible audience.
Here is a video presentation on Visually.
Do look up Visually and drop in your comments.
Link: Visual.ly
Read more »

Anonymous at August 06, 2011 0
If you are a web artist and have a penchant for checking out infographics or even creating them, then Visual.ly is a neat service 
.


Data can be visualised and understood a lot better when an infographic of it is presented. A infographic is basically a large poster like image, which presents data in a flow. Most people can learn a lot more from a infographic within minutes compared to reading about it.

Visual.ly Features

  • I could skim through several categories and look up relevant infographics or simply search on a topic. When you look up an infographic, it shows who created the infographic and where it was published.
Infographics explore visually thumb A Search Engine and Directory for Infographics Visually
  • If you register with an account, users can also register their work with Visual.ly. This could be a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog.
I liked the fact, that people who painstakingly create infographics have a single directory to share their work. It can also help reach out to the highest possible audience.
Here is a video presentation on Visually.
Do look up Visually and drop in your comments.
Link: Visual.ly
Read more »

Anonymous at July 20, 2011 0
If you are using Gmail, chances are you aware that up to 15 different types of files which are attached to an email, can be looked up without the need to download them.
This is useful, as it saves space and also from a security point of view the file is opened online and not on your computer. Today Google announced, that it was added support for .RAR and .ZIP files.
To check the contents within a .zip or .rar file, click on View as seen in image below.
view zip Google Docs thumb Google Docs Allows Looking Up Contents of RAR and ZIP Files
All the contents can be seen listed and the best part of it is we can download the individual file or open in online on Google Docs if it is supported by Google Docs.
Google Docs ZIP Download options thumb Google Docs Allows Looking Up Contents of RAR and ZIP Files
It is important for Google Docs to support as many different types of files as possible so that users can find it comfortable using their Chromebooks which does not have any software installed on it but is a OS which is more or less a browser.
Drop drop in your comments.
Read more »

Anonymous at July 20, 2011 0
If you are using Gmail, chances are you aware that up to 15 different types of files which are attached to an email, can be looked up without the need to download them.
This is useful, as it saves space and also from a security point of view the file is opened online and not on your computer. Today Google announced, that it was added support for .RAR and .ZIP files.
To check the contents within a .zip or .rar file, click on View as seen in image below.
view zip Google Docs thumb Google Docs Allows Looking Up Contents of RAR and ZIP Files
All the contents can be seen listed and the best part of it is we can download the individual file or open in online on Google Docs if it is supported by Google Docs.
Google Docs ZIP Download options thumb Google Docs Allows Looking Up Contents of RAR and ZIP Files
It is important for Google Docs to support as many different types of files as possible so that users can find it comfortable using their Chromebooks which does not have any software installed on it but is a OS which is more or less a browser.
Drop drop in your comments.
Read more »

Anonymous at July 20, 2011 0
Google+ is still in private beta but developers have already put their mighty efforts and built many extensions, bookmarklets, add-ons, userscripts, web apps and much more! This post lists all those tools (webapps, extensions and everything in between) which can make Google+ better in all aspects.

#1. Color Plus

Image59 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Let’s start with the most basic tool. Most of the geeks/bloggers (including me) didn’t like the color of the Google bar and many wanted to customize it, there are many ways to do this. If you’re on Chrome then Color Plus might do the work for you. Using Firefox? No worries, there’s a userscript for that.
Links: Color Plus (Chrome-only) | Google bar color changer (Userscript-works on all browsers)

#2. Gplus.to

roundup thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Shortens your Google+ profile URL, hopefully Google will introduce this feature in the coming days. Just choose a nick name, enter your profile ID and you’re done! Your shortened URL will be something like this – http://gplus.to/nickname
Link: Gplus.to (Web app)

#3. Block Plus

image thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Some say that the best feature of Google+ is its integration with the Google bar, no doubt, it’s a wonderful feature but it may make a bit unproductive as it follows you everywhere (on all Google sites).
Block Plus removes the Google+ integration from the Google bar and you may continue doing your work than concentrating on Google+ notifications. Another Userscript, Google+ notifications blocker, does the same thing but eventually works on all browsers.
Link: Block Plus (Chrome-only) | Google+ Notifications blocker (Userscript- works on all browsers)

#4. Plusbar

Image15 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
This is a nice addition to Google+, Plusbar is a bookmarklet which converts Google+ into your entertainment dashboard. You can watch BBC News, Al Jazeera, Nasa TV and many other live streaming channels directly from Google plus.

Plusbar Demo

Link: Plusbar (Works on all browsers)

#5. Surplus

Image31 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
This is just the opposite to Block Plus, Surplus makes it easy to check your Google+ updates on non-Google sites. Apart from checking updates, you can also post links/normal text. You can also turn on desktop notifications and sounds in the options.
Link: Surplus (Chrome-only)

#6. PlusFeed

Image04 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
PlusFeed allows you to follow Google+ posts of anyone by subscribing to their feed. To get the feed address, replace Google_plus_ID in http://plusfeed.appspot.com/Google_plus_ID with your Google plus ID and subscribe to it using your RSS reader.
Link: PlusFeed (Web app)

#7. Like +1

Image55 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Even though Google+ is liked by most of the beta testers, only a very few of them left Facebook and decided to choose Google plus as their primary networking tool. So, as with the arrival of Google+, the +1 button has got some meaning and many started +1’ing (along with liking) their favorite articles.
Like +1 combines +1 button and like button into a single button, so that you can save a few seconds. Your +1’s won’t appear instantly, it may take a minute to appear.
Link: Like +1 (Chrome-only)

#8. Extended Share

Image04 thumb1 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Share your Google+ posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with a couple of clicks. Just click on Share on.. present beside the Share option and choose the site on which you want to share the post. 
Link: Extended Share (Chrome-only)

#9. Find People on Plus

Image30 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Pretty self-explanatory, it’s a directory of all the people who signed up for Google+, it detects your area and shows user suggestions. Apart from acting as a people directory, it is also a showcase of Google+ statistics and top Google+ users which I found interesting.
Link: Find People on Plus (Web app)

#10. Google+ Statistics

Image33 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
While Find People on Plus shows some mild statistics of every Google+  user, Google+ Statistics is better if you want to checkout graphs, following trends etc. You might know about Twitter Counter, the same guys have built Google+ Statistics.
You can also track your Google+ statistics by signing up using your Google account. It also provides a statistics widget which you can embed on your site.
Link: Google+ Statistics (Web app)

Bonus Tools

#11. Move Your Photos

facebookpicasa thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts This chrome extension will help you in exporting all your Facebook photos to your Picasa account. If you’re migrating to Google+ then this one will be handy, as you don’t need to manually export the photos.
You need to login to Facebook and grand permission to the app, as this app has become popular lately, it may take more time to migrate the photos.
Link: Move Your Photos (Chrome-only)

#12. GTools+

unnamed thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
With GTools+ you can customize the interface of Google+ such as editing the Google bar components, changing the position of the chat box, pinning the Google bar to the top and much more. It can also be used for translation and to setup notifications for Google+, you can even customize the color of notifications.
Link: GTools+ (Chrome-only)

#13. Agent G+

Image29 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
There are many extensions and add-ons to post sync your Google+ posts with Twitter and Facebook, but this one is extension-free. You just need to authorize the app in Twitter and Facebook and post a Google+ update of the authorization string you get (share it with only + Agent G).
Once you have done that, you can sync your Google+ posts by simply sharing the posts with +Agent G.
Link: Agent G+ (Web app)
So, that is it. If you know some worthy Google+ tools, do share them through the comments.
Read more »

Anonymous at July 20, 2011 0
Google+ is still in private beta but developers have already put their mighty efforts and built many extensions, bookmarklets, add-ons, userscripts, web apps and much more! This post lists all those tools (webapps, extensions and everything in between) which can make Google+ better in all aspects.

#1. Color Plus

Image59 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Let’s start with the most basic tool. Most of the geeks/bloggers (including me) didn’t like the color of the Google bar and many wanted to customize it, there are many ways to do this. If you’re on Chrome then Color Plus might do the work for you. Using Firefox? No worries, there’s a userscript for that.
Links: Color Plus (Chrome-only) | Google bar color changer (Userscript-works on all browsers)

#2. Gplus.to

roundup thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Shortens your Google+ profile URL, hopefully Google will introduce this feature in the coming days. Just choose a nick name, enter your profile ID and you’re done! Your shortened URL will be something like this – http://gplus.to/nickname
Link: Gplus.to (Web app)

#3. Block Plus

image thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Some say that the best feature of Google+ is its integration with the Google bar, no doubt, it’s a wonderful feature but it may make a bit unproductive as it follows you everywhere (on all Google sites).
Block Plus removes the Google+ integration from the Google bar and you may continue doing your work than concentrating on Google+ notifications. Another Userscript, Google+ notifications blocker, does the same thing but eventually works on all browsers.
Link: Block Plus (Chrome-only) | Google+ Notifications blocker (Userscript- works on all browsers)

#4. Plusbar

Image15 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
This is a nice addition to Google+, Plusbar is a bookmarklet which converts Google+ into your entertainment dashboard. You can watch BBC News, Al Jazeera, Nasa TV and many other live streaming channels directly from Google plus.

Plusbar Demo

Link: Plusbar (Works on all browsers)

#5. Surplus

Image31 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
This is just the opposite to Block Plus, Surplus makes it easy to check your Google+ updates on non-Google sites. Apart from checking updates, you can also post links/normal text. You can also turn on desktop notifications and sounds in the options.
Link: Surplus (Chrome-only)

#6. PlusFeed

Image04 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
PlusFeed allows you to follow Google+ posts of anyone by subscribing to their feed. To get the feed address, replace Google_plus_ID in http://plusfeed.appspot.com/Google_plus_ID with your Google plus ID and subscribe to it using your RSS reader.
Link: PlusFeed (Web app)

#7. Like +1

Image55 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Even though Google+ is liked by most of the beta testers, only a very few of them left Facebook and decided to choose Google plus as their primary networking tool. So, as with the arrival of Google+, the +1 button has got some meaning and many started +1’ing (along with liking) their favorite articles.
Like +1 combines +1 button and like button into a single button, so that you can save a few seconds. Your +1’s won’t appear instantly, it may take a minute to appear.
Link: Like +1 (Chrome-only)

#8. Extended Share

Image04 thumb1 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Share your Google+ posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with a couple of clicks. Just click on Share on.. present beside the Share option and choose the site on which you want to share the post. 
Link: Extended Share (Chrome-only)

#9. Find People on Plus

Image30 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
Pretty self-explanatory, it’s a directory of all the people who signed up for Google+, it detects your area and shows user suggestions. Apart from acting as a people directory, it is also a showcase of Google+ statistics and top Google+ users which I found interesting.
Link: Find People on Plus (Web app)

#10. Google+ Statistics

Image33 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
While Find People on Plus shows some mild statistics of every Google+  user, Google+ Statistics is better if you want to checkout graphs, following trends etc. You might know about Twitter Counter, the same guys have built Google+ Statistics.
You can also track your Google+ statistics by signing up using your Google account. It also provides a statistics widget which you can embed on your site.
Link: Google+ Statistics (Web app)

Bonus Tools

#11. Move Your Photos

facebookpicasa thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts This chrome extension will help you in exporting all your Facebook photos to your Picasa account. If you’re migrating to Google+ then this one will be handy, as you don’t need to manually export the photos.
You need to login to Facebook and grand permission to the app, as this app has become popular lately, it may take more time to migrate the photos.
Link: Move Your Photos (Chrome-only)

#12. GTools+

unnamed thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
With GTools+ you can customize the interface of Google+ such as editing the Google bar components, changing the position of the chat box, pinning the Google bar to the top and much more. It can also be used for translation and to setup notifications for Google+, you can even customize the color of notifications.
Link: GTools+ (Chrome-only)

#13. Agent G+

Image29 thumb 10 Great Tools to Light up Google Plus Addicts
There are many extensions and add-ons to post sync your Google+ posts with Twitter and Facebook, but this one is extension-free. You just need to authorize the app in Twitter and Facebook and post a Google+ update of the authorization string you get (share it with only + Agent G).
Once you have done that, you can sync your Google+ posts by simply sharing the posts with +Agent G.
Link: Agent G+ (Web app)
So, that is it. If you know some worthy Google+ tools, do share them through the comments.
Read more »

Anonymous at July 20, 2011 0
Click.to makes it easy to share tidbits of text or even images using your favorite app/service. While surfing the web, I come across lots of interesting stuff and if I want to share it, I need to login to the specific service and do it, be it Facebook, Twitter or even Gmail.
With Click.to you can share things in very less time using the same service you were using before, this will save you a lot of clicks. Click.to integrates with almost any app, including some favorite services like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter and many more.

 

 

 

Features of Click.to 

  • Share text/image by just selecting it and pressing Ctrl+C.
Image56 thumb Click.to Easy Sharing and Integration with all Apps
  • Click.to integrates with almost any app, if you can’t find your favorite app in the list.
  • Apart from sharing it can also perform web actions, for example if you click on the Google icon after selecting the text, it will display the search results for the selected text.
  • You can also create customized web actions using the user manual.

Pros and Cons

Pros: Pretty innovative idea, must have for people who use multiple browsers as you don’t need to install sharing plugins (Shareaholic etc) on each browser.
Cons: It needs to be polished in a few aspects like if you’re sharing text using Twitter option of Click.to, you can’t edit the tweet, that’s annoying. It is a bit resource hungry too!

Click.to Demo

Click.to currently supports only Windows. Try out Click.to and drop your opinions.
Link: Click.to
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