firefox extensions

How to hide the Facebook ticker

If you have checked Facebook today, you have probably noticed a sidebar ticker has been added to the right-hand column of the newly redesigned News Feed, along with complaints and snarky comments about the new News Feed and this ticker. About the ticker, Facebook says:

Ticker, on the right-hand side of your account, lets you see all your friends' activity in real-time. When you hover over an item on ticker, you can see the full story and join the conversation as it happens. Ticker updates itself as stories happen. This gives you a more complete picture of what your friends … Read more

Download helper

Bulk Image Downloader is an application that lets users download multiple images from a Web site all at once. Bulk Image Downloader Firefox Extension is an add-on for Firefox that adds Bulk Image Downloader options to the Firefox context menu. The extension works just fine, but potential users should be aware that it's made to work with the Bulk Image Downloader application; it won't download any images on its own.

The extension installs without issues, though we could only guess at how it worked, because it had no instructions and no options within Firefox's add-on menu. We … Read more

Grab big pics off Google Images the easy way

If you happen to frequent Google's Images search tool with the intention of grabbing the full-quality version of whatever image you're looking for, you've probably noticed Google makes you jump through some hoops to get there.

In fact, Microsoft and Yahoo do the same thing, but it's with good reason: to offer you the full version of the image without actually visiting the page removes the context of why it's there, and makes the search engines more of a content leech than a beneficial traffic director.

The good news, is that if you feel like … Read more

Broadcasts Monitor puts 25 video streams in a tab

In my never-ending search for frivolous Firefox add-ons, I've discovered Broadcasts Monitor, a unique twist on the idea of watching live video streams. Hang on to your hat here, because this add-on lets you slap up to 25 live video streams onto a single browser tab.

Why you'd ever want to go all the way to 25 is beyond me, but sticking with the default of four proved to be quite useful in my go with it. It supports a handful of services like Justin.tv, Ustream, Livestream, and BlogTV. Advanced users can also plug in motion JPEG … Read more

Tip: Make Googl URLs without Google's toolbar

Have you been lusting over Google's free URL-shortening service but unwilling to install Google's browser toolbar to use it from non-Google sites?

You're not alone, and the good news is that there are now a handful of alternatives, my favorite being Googl Lite, a free Firefox add-on that shortens the URL of any page you're on through Googl, then copies that link into your system's clipboard.

The button, just a little more than 20 pixels wide, can be placed anywhere within your browser. And if you're not fond of downloads, you can use a software-free bookmarklet … Read more

Teach the 'Fox new tricks

FastestFox (formerly SmarterFox) is one of the more powerful add-ons to enhance Firefox browsing. It displays a clean-looking bubble filled with customizable search engine shortcuts when you highlight a word or phrase. Type a query into the Firefox address bar, and FastestFox will offer up suggestions as you type. It will also place alternative search engine icons on a results page (like Google, Yahoo, and Bing), and will repeat smaller version of those icons on Wikipedia pages, along with a list of related articles. To open a new Web page faster, there's the qLauncher. One hot-key combo brings it … Read more

HideTab lets you cloak embarrassing tabs quickly

Besides blazing fast JavaScript benchmarks, privacy mode is the big new feature in modern browsers. The latest version of Firefox includes many privacy enhancements that can keep others from seeing what you've been up to while online. But what if a friend, family member, or boss wants to borrow and/or look at something on your computer? How do you play it cool and hide tabs you don't want them to see?

Developer Diego Ruiz has come up with a solution called HideTab that does just that. You can very quickly hide one or all open tabs with … Read more

Eight Firefox extensions for the Twitter fanatic

Since Twitter has become such an important part of the social-networking world, it only makes sense that developers would create a variety of browser extensions that give you access to the microblogging service's features.

If you don't like extensions, or you want to be more social with your browser, downloading the Flock browser could naturally be your answer. Built on Firefox, Flock provides a variety of cool social features while also supporting most Firefox extensions. But for those sticking with the Mozilla browser, the Twitter-based extensions in this roundup are impressive.

Twitter extensions

InstantTweets InstantTweets lets you quickly update your status, add images, or share links by entering tweets into your Firefox address bar. You can also click on pictures, and you have the option of automatically updating your status with that image. I had some trouble with that feature. Sometimes it worked, and other times it didn't, so beware. InstantTweets is a neat app, but it's not perfect.

Power Twitter Power Twitter adds some neat features to your Twitter page. After installing it, you'll find a photo-uploading option, a tab to help you shorten a link, and more. I found it that worked really well and made it quite easy to perform basic Twitter functions. It's a great extension.

Twitbin Twitbin is installed in your Firefox sidebar. Once there, the extension enables you to send and receive messages. It works well, and I've found that it provides an easy way to monitor my conversations with others. It's worth having.… Read more

Highlight to copy

This one-hit wonder of a Firefox extensions nevertheless provides a useful feature for those who do a lot of cutting and pasting from Web pages into text fields or documents. AutoCopy copies any text you highlight to the clipboard--it's that simple.

It does do a bit more than that, though. The extension's Options menu lets users configure highlight behavior, post-copy pasting behavior, keyboard shortcuts, toggling a Status Bar button, and a menu that pops up after copying. From that pop-up menu, you can automatically paste the selected text into the location bar, the search bar, a new tab, … Read more