Five Useful Chrome Extensions

Many of the popular web browsers such as Firefox and Chrome have a huge library of free extensions that add functionality or change the appearance of the browser. None of these features are essential for surfing the web, but quite a few give the user additional features and controls that save time by making common tasks simpler and improve the overall experience of browsing.

This article will talk specifically about Chrome extensions, but many (if not all) of these can also be found in Firefox. To download these extensions and many more just visit the Chrome Web Store.


1) Smooth Gestures: This extension is made for either the lazy or for the efficient, depending on how you look at it. I choose to think it's for efficient people, but as a devoted user I'm a bit biased. By holding down the right mouse button and moving your mouse in a certain direction (or directions) you can perform a simple navigation or tab management task. For example, holding the right mouse button and moving the mouse up opens a new tab, and holding the right mouse button and moving to the left navigates back one page. You can customize the gestures to perform dozens of other tasks using more complicated gestures. None of these features are things that you couldn't accomplish with a click or two of the mouse, but Smooth Gestures saves the trouble of navigating your cursor to the button or tab by letting you perform the action anywhere on the page.

2) Xmarks Bookmarks Sync: Have you ever been using a different browser or computer and needed to get to a page you had bookmarked but couldn't remember what it was called? With Xmarks you'll never have that problem again. Once you create a free account, Xmarks will keep track all of your bookmarks and even transfer them across browsers. It also has the ability to keep track of your open tabs and the passwords you have entered if you choose to allow it. When you log onto their website you can get a list of your bookmarks without ever having to remember to back it up manually. This extension is essential for people who make a million bookmarks for all of the sites they visit and for people who don't want to repopulate this list manually in each browser or computer they use.

3) Adblock Plus: This one is a bit controversial. Nobody likes advertisements...except of course for the people who make money off of them. By installing this extension almost all of the ads on your favorite websites, from news sites to Facebook to Youtube, will magically disappear. You can whitelist certain websites you like which are able to stay free because of ads, but there is clearly a gray area surrounding this product. Millions of people are enjoying a cleaner web experience by using Adblock Plus or similar ad blockers, so if you can deal with it ethically you might want to see what all of the fuss is about.

4) Facebook Notifications / Google Mail Checker: While these are two separate extensions I believe they go hand in hand. Both install a small icon towards the top right of the browser next to the address bar and discretely notify you when you get a new notification on Facebook or a new email to your Gmail account. In the Facebook extension you can even enable a small notification window to appear saying who the notification is from, or you can click the icon to take you directly to that message. After installing these two extensions I found myself checking these sites much less frequently than before, as I could see that nobody was trying to contact me since I last checked, minimizing the opportunity for distraction. Of course, if that doesn't work for you there is one more extreme option...

5) StayFocused: "Alright, I have 24 hours to finish this report -- that's plenty of time. Let me just check Facebook...oh, Anna wrote on my wall. I better reply. And I should look at Sam's new photos...Ok, let me just check my email...I should check Twitter, too...Okay, back to that report. I still have...FIVE MINUTES?!?!"

That might be a bit extreme, but it's certainly a situation that many of us have been in. We're addicted to distractions online and sometimes we have to do something to force our way out of it. StayFocused allows you to make lists of blocked sites and allowed sites and allow yourself a certain amount of time per day to spend on these time-wasters. After that time is up they will be blocked until tomorrow. There's also the "Nuclear Option" which blocks all sites (or all but those which you allow) for a certain amount of time to make sure you don't get distracted. It's a simple concept but if you stick with it it will force you to be productive, or at least as productive as you were before the web.


There are thousands upon thousands of extensions out there, some of which are more useful than others. There's even a whole productivity section in Chrome's Web Store with similar options. I find these extensions listed above to be very useful and I feel that they save me time every day, either by making simple tasks simpler or by keeping me from distractions. Are there any extensions you couldn't live without? Let us know by tweeting us or by replying in the comments!

Five Exciting Products From CES 2012

Last week was the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and all kinds of tech companies were out in full force, showing off the best of their new products that we can expect to see in the upcoming year. Some really cool products, like the Makerbot Replicator and the Samsung Smart Window, probably won't find their way into most homes anytime soon, but give us something to look forward to in the next few years. Other devices being released in the upcoming months, like new smartphones, tablets, and TVs, hand have some people already planning their goodbye speeches to their current devices. Here I will highlight just five of the products from CES 2012 that people are most excited about.

Nokia Lumia 900
1) Nokia Lumia 900: This Windows Phone from Nokia could be the example to which all other Windows Phones aspire to be. The hardware contains a fairly fast 1.4 GHz processor, a bright, crisp, 4.3-inch AMOLED display, a 1 megapixel front camera for video calls, and an 8MP rear camera for great photos. The Lumia 900 will be exclusive to AT&T on its new 4G LTE network, which is said to be quite fast. Pricing and a release date are unknown but people are speculating that it will come out in March, probably around the $200 price range.


Asus Memo 370T

 2) Asus Memo 370T: The Asus Memo 370T made quite a splash this year as the affordable tablet, similar to the Kindle Fire last year. Just because this device is great for folks on a budget doesn't mean that it isn't powerful, though. The memo sports Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor (translation: it's fast), runs on Ice Cream Sandwich (not the dessert, but the latest and greatest version of Android), and has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. This won't be the most powerful tablet on the market, but for an affordable 7 inch tablet you aren't making much of a sacrifice for its low price.


Samsung Galaxy Note
3) Samsung Galaxy Note: Is it a phone or is it a tablet? Samsung says it's a mix of the two, with the features of a phone but a 5.3 inch screen encroaching on tablet territory. A version of this phone has been out for a few months in Europe and Asia, but it has yet to be released in America. It will come with a fast 1.5GHz processor, a beautiful HD Super AMOLED screen, and will operate on AT&T's 4G LTE network, but the most interesting part of this phone/tablet is its use of a stylus. The stylus, while initially intended to be used in note-taking (hence the name) and annotations, could be used by more apps in the future. It'll be interesting to see if the stylus will catch on (again) or if the Note's in-between size will make it too awkward for most consumers.

LG's 55-inch OLED TV

4) LG's 55-inch OLED TV: While OLED (organic light emitting diode) technology has been used in phones and tablets in the past, we still haven't seen an OLED TV in the US yet. LG's OLED TV is brighter and more energy efficient than other TVs, is super-thin, and will come with a bunch of added features, like streaming media, social media, a Magic Motion remote (think Wii remote), and passive 3D capabilities. The price has not been announced yet, but it's expected to be pretty high. The important thing is, though, that this is becoming a viable technology that will start to make its way into the living room in the next few years.

HP Envy 14 Spectre

5) HP Envy 14 Spectre: With all of the talk about smartphones and tablets it's important to remember that "regular" computers aren't dead. HP's latest offering into the ultrabook market is a great reminder. The Spectre is not the thinnest ultrabook on the market and it's not quite as powerful as many higher-end laptops, but it still supports an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM. Its aesthetics are one of its big selling points, as its lid and palm rests are all covered with Gorilla Glass, the scratch resistant surface found on many touchscreen devices. With a $1,400 price tag, we'll have to wait and see if the style is worth the extra cost.


This is just the tip of the iceberg for what we will see this year in the tech world. Leave us a comment if there was anything from CES 2012 that you're really excited about this year!

Five Apps and Websites to Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

At the start of every year, millions of people set goals for themselves in the new year. As the second week of 2012 is coming to a close, many are surely struggling to keep their resolutions. There are plenty of methods for sticking to your goals, such as trying to achieve them with a partner or imagining the benefits that will be gained, but there are now some more high-tech solutions. In this blog I will talk about some mobile apps and websites to help keep five of the most popular New Year's resolutions.


1) Lose Weight: After the double whammy of Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, people are not typically feeling their fittest. There are plenty of great diet apps out there, but the one that most people seem to like is Lose It! This exclamatorily titled app/website helps you keep track of the calories in all of your meals and the calories burned by exercise and lets you know how to budget your daily calories to reach your target weight. There are graphs which let you visualize your progress, and you can even connect with friends for personalized motivation. Since its creation, this app has become very popular and has helped many people learn the basics of what they need to do to lose weight.

2) Get a Job: Unemployment has become a very serious problem for many Americans. Websites like Monster.com list jobs that employers specifically post to them, but what about the many companies who only list job openings on their own sites? LinkUp.com pulls hundreds of thousands of jobs from companies' websites so they can all be found in one place and removes listings when the employers do. This is a much more efficient way of searching than checking a dozen different companies' website for new openings.

Another option for job-seekers is LunchMeet. LunchMeet is an interesting app which uses your LinkedIn profile and contacts (you DO have a LinkedIn profile, right?) to schedule a lunch meeting or a meeting over coffee with other professionals. This app provides a very innovative way of networking both from the point of view of someone looking for a job or contacts and someone looking for talent.

3) Track Personal Finances: I probably don't need to tell you that the economy is pretty rough right now, which is all the more reason to understand and keep track of your personal finances. Mint is a free website and app that safely collects all of your accounts and displays them in one place so that you can compare what you have spent with what you have saved. You can even see what categories of spending (food, entertainment, etc.) you're spending the most on so that you can determine how you should budget your money. With so many cool services and features, it's definitely worth checking out their site to learn more.

4) Quit Smoking: I've never been a smoker so I can't speak to how difficult it is to quit or how effective these two apps are, but based on reviews and articles that I've seen, they're definitely worth a shot if you're looking to quit. MyQuit Coach from Livestrong will help you ween yourself off of cigarettes or go cold-turkey, depending on which approach you choose. You can chart your progress to see how much you have improved (or not improved), earn badges for your progress, and even get support from your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

There is also another app that people seem to like called Quitter, which is a bit simpler than MyQuit Coach. Quitter keeps track of how long it has been since you last cigarette or anything else you're trying to quit (including, according to their website, Baconnaise) and the amount of money you are saving by not buying them.

5) Managing Time: Sometimes your computer or the internet is just too interesting. You might be reading this blog now as a way of putting off more important tasks. Now, with services like RescueTime, you can keep track of what you're doing all day on your computer and analyze where you're getting distracted the most. You can also set a designated amount of time in which you need to focus, and RescueTime will block the sites that would be distracting to you. This list of distracting sites is generated automatically based on your behavior, but if errors are made you can always tweak the list. This is a great program if you ever sit down to get something done and you realize an hour has gone past and you've just been switching back and forth between Facebook and Twitter.


Even if you don't believe in making New Year's resolutions, these websites and apps can help you improve areas of your life to save you time and money thath could be better spent elsewhere. If you have made resolutions, there's no reason not to use any tool at your disposal. Good luck, and have a great 2012!

Five Great Gifts for Geeks and Gadget-Lovers

If you've been out in public, on the internet, or had any contact with the outside world lately, you might have noticed that it's finally the holiday season again! A time for joy, a time for family, and a time for being stumped when it comes to choosing gifts for everyone. I might not be able to tell you which toy will be causing riots at Toys-R-Us this year or which model Lexus to stick a giant red bow on, but I feel confident that I can give you a few tips about electronics and accessories to buy for the gadget-lovers in your life, ranging from the pricey to the rather inexpensive. Take a look and see if anything seems right for your friends or family.


1) iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch: These are the obvious gifts that nearly everyone would be happy to unwrap this winter. Tablets are getting more and more popular, and the iPad 2 is no exception. The iPhone 4S, apart from some battery-life concerns is faster and has several new features like Siri, the voice activated assistant, that previous versions of the iPhone did not have. The iPod Touch is a great way to play music on the go, but it also comes with a camera, can access WiFi, and has many of the same functions as its big brother, the iPhone. All of these devices can access the robust iTunes store to download millions of songs, movies, and apps.

There are two things to consider before buying one of these Apple products: they are quite pricey (they're probably not be gifts that you can afford give to your entire extended family) and new versions might be on the horizon as early as spring. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but rumors of the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have been around for the last few months. If it's important to whoever is receiving the gift to stay up to date with their technology then you might want to hold off for a few months.

2) Kindle Fire: Amazon's Kindle Fire is going to do well this holiday season. While the Kindle originally was only an eReader device, it has now branched out into the tablet world. The Kindle Fire might be the biggest threat to the iPad this year, and the $200 price tag makes it even more appealing. It comes with the same abilities as most other tablets on the market, such as a web browser and the ability to play movies, music, games, and books, all found on Amazon's extensive store. It doesn't have quite the same power as the iPad or the trademark user experience that Apple has developed, but for its price it's an excellent alternative for someone who doesn't necessarily care about the more technical details of other Android or iOS devices.

3) Touch screen Gloves: As the weather is starting to get cold, you may have noticed that your touch screen devices are not working while you are wearing gloves. Rather than making your hands suffer the cold while you make that text, companies are now making gloves that allow you to use your device without removing your gloves. After a little searching online I have found that there are two main kinds of these gloves: some that have detachable fingers and some that are made of a special material that allows your fingertips to remain conductive inside your gloves. These Agloves seem like they would make a good stocking stuffer for the textoholic in your family!

4) Headphones: I see so many people walking around with the white headphones that came with their iPods and I remember the time when I used to be one of them. I thought those headphones were fine -- they sounded ok and they fit alright. It wasn't until they fell apart and I was forced to buy a new pair that I realized my mistake. Since then I have had two pairs of Sennheiser earbuds that are more comfortable and sound significantly better, and I will never turn back. If you have a music-lover in your life who is still using the free headphones that came with their phone or mp3 player, you owe it to them to get them new headphones. Like I said, I am very pleased with my Sennheiser earbuds and have heard great things about their traditional headphones, too. I see a lot of college students with Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, which seem to be a little over-priced but popular. A quick search on Amazon could tell you which others are highly-rated if you want more options.

5) Xbox Kinect: After the Nintendo Wii popularized the use of motion in video games, Microsoft responded with the Kinect. By using a camera that is set up near your TV, the games are able to take your movement as the input, causing you to actually get off the couch and move around (a scary prospect for some). A few years ago, the technology inside the Kinect would have cost thousands of dollars (really) but now it goes for as little as $100. Programmers are even using the Kinect for many other interesting purposes, so it's not too farfetched to say that you might even use it outside of gaming before too long. For casual and hardcore gamers alike, the Kinect is a must have for anyone with an Xbox 360.


There are plenty of great electronics on the market these days -- I didn't even mention other tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab or other Android phones. Am I missing anything else important, or have you come up with a great gift that you would like to share? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!

Five Tips for the Holiday Season

It's December now, which means it's officially THAT time of year. Time to deck your halls, put up the menorah, or whatever else it is that you might do for the holidays. Every family has a tradition that goes back for years -- maybe even for generations. This doesn't mean that we can't add a few technological tweaks to save time and money and bring the family together, though! Here I give you five ideas to make the month just a little bit merrier.


1) Amazon's Holiday Flurry Deals: Starting this past weekend and running through Saturday, Amazon will have big sales on particular categories each day. It seems that some deals will last until Christmas, but this week will have more specific sales, like 60% off thousands of DVDs and Blu-rays on Wednesday and a $100 Amazon Gift Card with the purchase of certain smart phones on Friday.

For more information about what exactly is on sale, check Amazon every day this week!

2) Kayak.com: Finding an affordable flight online can be quite stressful, especially during a time when lots of others are also flying. There are dozens of websites that claim to get you the cheapest flights, but which one is really the best? With Kayak, it doesn't matter. Kayak compares all of the popular sites to book flights (Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire, etc.) as well as the airlines themselves so that you can get the best deal without looking at ten different sites. When I travel, Kayak is my go-to site for flights, hotels, and whatever else I might need.

3) Skype: If it isn't possible to get everyone together for the holidays, it's not the end of the world. Now that Skype has become so popular, it's incredibly easy to have a face to face conversation with people on the other side of the world. I realize that Skype isn't exactly a secret (especially to people who are reading a tech blog), but the point of bringing it up in this list is to remind people to set up their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and whoever else doesn't have it yet. I recently had the opportunity to watch a focus group with older adults (all over the age of 65) talking about technology and the web, and all six participants had used and LOVED Skype. Simple things like eating Sunday breakfast with Grandma over Skype can really mean the world to them. When you can, try to set up your whole family to be able to video chat online!

4) Sale Aggregators: There are quite a few sites out there that give you information about sales from multiple stores, but there are two that stand out to me. Both of these sites are active year-round, but they really come in handy during the holidays.

SaleLocator is both a website and an iPhone/Android app that uses your zip code to look for deals closest to you. If you plan on leaving the house to do your holiday shopping, just search for the item you plan on buying and it will tell you if there are any deals in stores nearby, saving you from driving all over town or checking the website of every store in town that might sell that TV. It also helps you compare prices if you find an item in a store but want to check to make sure the WalMart down the street doesn't have a better deal. I find that this works really well in some areas but not so well in others, so check to see if people are reporting sales in your part of town.

If you like to do your shopping from the comfort of your computer chair, don't buy anything without checking RetailMeNot first. This site has coupon codes for thousands of websites, often providing deals like free shipping or a percentage off of an entire purchase. Just use the codes they provide at checkout on whatever site you're using and enjoy the savings!

5) NORAD Santa: The North American Aerospace Defense Command likes to have fun during the Christmas season by using high-tech means to track Santa's progress with Google Earth and video updates about his progress. Before Christmas, though, there's a countdown until Santa's flight and plenty of games for kids. Maybe this isn't the most useful tip on the list, but what's wrong with a little fun for the holidays?


There's still a few weeks left until the holiday season is in full swing, which is more than enough time to get your planning and shopping done before the last minute. If you are one to put things off until the last minute, I hope these tips can at least save you a bit of time, money, and stress. Anybody else have websites or apps that they like to use during this time of year? Leave us a comment!