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Mozilla Labs rolls out usability 'Test Pilot' add-on

Mozilla has launched a usability test plug-in for its open-source Firefox browser, in a bid to make testing and user feedback easier and more attractive.

Test Pilot, an add-on for Firefox 3.5, was rolled out on Wednesday. "We are looking for Firefox users of all levels of skill and all levels of technical knowledge to help improve Firefox and Labs experiments," Mozilla Labs employee Jinghua Zhang wrote in a blog post.

The opt-in program allows those who sign up to "try out the newest features and user interface ideas before anyone else, but also see and … Read more

ThunderBrowse gets Postbox support

One of the better Mozilla Thunderbird extensions is ThunderBrowse, which allows users to quickly open e-mailed links in a browser window built into the e-mail client itself. The latest version introduces support for the Thunderbird-derived Postbox, as well as compatibility fixes for the Thunderbird 3 beta builds and a new click engine.

However, for users who haven't checked out or updated ThunderBrowse in awhile, there's a lot to play with. Through the expansive options menu, you can configure links to open in new tabs. This allows your original e-mail to stay open in one tab, while the link … Read more

Sync contacts between Thunderbird, Google

A couple of weeks ago, I described how to sync contacts between Outlook, Gmail, and your iPhone. The program missing from this contacts mega-merge was Thunderbird (download for Windows | Mac), and for good reason. Mozilla's free e-mail program is not particularly contact-friendly.

The first time I attempted to use Mozilla Thunderbird's import function to bring my Gmail contacts into the client e-mail application, I was seriously disappointed with the results. Most of the contact information was squished into a single nondescript field for each record. The few fields that did make the conversion were incomplete. The entire process was pretty worthless, overall.

Then I found the free Zindus add-on for Thunderbird. The program brings a subset of contact fields from Google and Zimbra into Mozilla's free e-mail program. For Google, the fields imported include the contact's name, primary and secondary e-mail addresses, phone numbers, IM names, company, title, and notes. (I didn't test the program with Zimbra.)

After you download and install Zindus, a "Zindus" option is added to Thunderbird's Tools menu. Clicking it opens the Zindus Configuration Settings dialog box where you're presented with a handful of contact-sync options, including a Sync Now button.

Windows 7 jump lists come to Chrome

Google Chrome fans who live on the edge and use the developer's build now get access to one of the best features in Windows 7. Browser jump-list access had previously been limited only to Internet Explorer, but Chrome version 3.0.197.11 supports it.

The jump list, accessible by right-clicking on the Chrome taskbar icon or by holding down the left mouse button and dragging, mimics the Internet Explorer jump list. What IE calls "Frequent", Chrome labels "Most Visited Sites", but both merely show your most frequently visited Web sites. Both lists of URLs … Read more

AlertBox keeps an eye out for site updates

RSS is great technology, but one of its shortcomings is that it doesn't always represent all of a site's content stream. Many times there are parts of a news or content site that change either through an editorial hand, or with items chosen by users. A new Firefox add-on called AlertBox helps track these "scraps" of content, and can be used to keep an eye out for any changes. This includes things like price changes, edits or updates to a news story, and the top stories on content sites.

To make sure it's not looking … Read more

Multi Links speeds up your browsing, bookmarking

Here's a must-have Firefox add-on. Called Multi Links, this extension lets you simply right click and drag your mouse across the screen to select multiple links at once. It's just like selecting multiple files on your computer, and highly effective for tearing through a page of links you want to look at or save for later.

By default, selected links open up in new browser tabs, although you can go into the options to choose whether you want them to open up in new windows, or be bookmarked instead. You're also able to change the color scheme … Read more

Super Search brings search overkill to Firefox

If you're the type of person who uses a lot of search engines and doesn't mind having a toolbar installed, you might want to check out Firefox Super Search. This Firefox-only add-on puts the power of 160 search engines in one toolbar, with about 70 that can be searched right from the toolbar itself.

If you're used to Firefox's built-in search box, this is a pretty big step up both from selecting one engine at a time and having to add additional engine tools from Mozilla's catalog. It's also laid out in a really … Read more

Extend Google Calendar with these Firefox add-ons

Google Calendar has quickly become one of my favorite online tools. I can schedule meetings quickly and it integrates seamlessly into my workflow. It's a great service.

But I want more from it.

That's why I've been sifting through Mozilla's Firefox extension database trying to find some add-ons that take Google Calendar to the next level. Whether they enhance its usability or just improve its effectiveness, there are a handful of extensions that work quite well.

Google Calendar extensions

Better GCal After I installed Better GCal, I was extremely impressed by what it offered. From a new skin to little extras like week numbers and collapsible headers, it makes Google Calendar just a little better. The extension not only made me more organized, but the calendar became far more readable.

GCal Popup GCal Popup is a really neat idea. Instead of forcing you to open a new tab to add an event to your Google Calendar, you'll only need to open the extension and it will display your Google Calendar over your current Web page. Input the event you want to add to your calendar and once you're done, you can close the extension and go back to work.

GCal Popup is designed to make it convenient to add events to your Calendar and it succeeds. But beware that it's an "experimental" extension, so it might cause some instability issues. That said, I haven't experienced any such problems.… Read more

Mozilla gives add-on developers a tip jar

Mozilla has introduced a new pilot program for Firefox developers to make a little money off add-ons they've created. Developers now have the option to place a "contribution" button on their add-on page, which lets users donate any amount they wish via PayPal.

Contributions are optional, meaning users can continue to download and use add-ons without having to pay anything. Mozilla is also letting developers pick their own suggested price, although users can choose to pay whatever they wish.

For the pilot program, add-on creators get the entire amount of the contribution, minus PayPal's transaction fee. … Read more

Make Firefox appear to be IE

If you don't like Internet Explorer, and would rather use Firefox, some sites make it hard for you. Sometimes, they just nag you with warnings. Other times they just plain refuse to load in your browser, or even try to warn you your operating system is wrong.

Here's a handy add-on to work you right around these artificial barriers. Go to addons.mozilla.org and search for user agent switcher, or you can find it at CNET's Download.com. Add the plug-in to Firefox and restart your browser.

When you come upon a naggy site that doesn'… Read more