Add-on

Extensions raise the volume in Opera 11

Opera, the longtime underdog browser favorite, released a rough alpha version of its next-generation browser today.

Opera 11 alpha for Windows, Mac, and Linux is notable at this point for bringing extensions to the closed-source browser, a feature not in earlier versions of Opera that has been a key selling point for Google Chrome. Extensions, which add extra functions to browsers, have recently come to Apple Safari, too.

Opera 11 alpha's extensions are also a further indication of the standardization of extension coding. WebKit-based Chrome and Safari use extension formats that are nearly-identical combinations of JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS, … Read more

The best Internet Explorer security add-ons

Big things are brewing in the browser industry, which is good news for all Web denizens, regardless of your browser preference. At the same time, your current browser can probably be made safer through the proper application of the right security add-ons.

Top browsers in a state of continuous enhancement Google's Chrome browser continues to garner much of the attention of the computer press two years after its release--and for good reason. Frequent, automatic updates and a clutter-free interface are two of the many features that set Chrome apart from the competition, as Stephen Shankland describes in his DeepTech blog.… Read more

'Rickroll' protection hits Firefox in add-on form

Are you the victim of frequent Rickrolls? The time-honored, and now passe trend of being tricked into thinking you were seeing one video and ending up seeing a rendition of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" instead?

Well then we have some good news for you: there's a new Firefox add-on called RickRemoval that solves this problem entirely. Install it, and it will do a quick check on the page, as it's loading, to spot Astley's video and keep it from playing. It's also nice enough to put up a little message … Read more

Two simple ways to thwart Web spies

Some Web sites just won't take "no" for an answer. You tell them you don't want their tracking cookies, and they continue to figure out new methods for keeping tabs on your Web activities anyway.

CNET's Greg Sandoval reported last month that several big-name sites have been sued in the U.S. District Court for using Flash cookies to spy on adults and children. At the center of this and similar suits are ad networks Clearspring Technologies and Quantcast that track your online activities even if you set your browser to block standard Web cookies.… Read more

The fast, free way to clean up text in MS Word

There's nothing easy about reformatting text in a Microsoft Word document. You can use the Format Painter to apply the formatting of one paragraph to others with a single click, and Word's Find and Replace features let you remove unwanted characters (or strings of characters), but these tools make their changes one at a time and often require additional cleanup.

I wish I had discovered Greg Maxey's free Clean Up Text add-on for Word years ago. The retired U.S. Navy submarine ordnance officer and former Microsoft Word MVP has created a Word DOT template that removes … Read more

Mozilla's Add-on builder great if you have know-how

For Mozilla users who want to control their browser, Mozilla Add-on Builder is a free tool that lets users create their own add-ons. Using the relatively new Jetpack SDK and Bespin code editor, Mozilla has created this Web-based SDK for the masses. As fun as it sounds, however, it is not intuitive, and some may want to stick to using premade add-ons.

Mozilla requires registration to use this tool. This process is fast; all you need is basic information like your name and e-mail. Before creating your add-on check out the tutorial provided by Mozilla. It will give you a … Read more

Firesay adds simple voice navigation to Firefox

Voice navigation is now commonplace on modern-day Android devices, but on the desktop, many of the accessibility tools that would bring voice commands to the end user still require special system level software or customized hardware.

That's not the case with a new Firefox add-on called Firesay, which brings hands-free voice controls to just the browser. Once installed as an add-on, it can pick up voice commands to do Web searches, open and close sites, and even pull up TV shows on Hulu.

The number of commands, and sites users can visit is extremely limited for the time being. … Read more

Reading Glasses blocks the extras

Reading Glasses is a nifty Google Chrome extension that lets you read on the Web only what you want to read while blocking out the rest.

A small Reading-Glasses icon will appear to the right-hand side of your address bar after the quick install. While you are reading a body of text, highlight your focus and click the icon. Doing so will white out everything other than the text. The problem with this extension is that it can be very finicky; sometimes it whites out more than you want it to, and sometimes less. It seems that luck may have … Read more

Take notes with Clipmarks

Clipmarks is a Mozilla Firefox extension that allows you to clip and save any portion of a Web page. The extension is great for sharing clips as well as saving them to a personalized note page. Though the add-on holds minor annoyances, it is an easy and simple way to take Web notes.

After the quick installation, a green paperclip icon will appear to the right-hand side of the address bar. To begin clipping, click on the icon and a green bar will appear at the top of the page. Pan over text to select it; an orange box will … Read more