Google Chrome, extensions and me..

I finally started what I like doing....Customizing.

This time it's my browser and it's not Firefox (FF). Though i feel horrible for switching from FF, but it has become suckier (if that's a word) than before. Almost like IE. Hell, I have made people switch from IE to FF by the dozens. But, like it's said all good things must come to an end! :(

I switched to google chrome after ranting about it not being as fast as it claims to be on many occasions. I always wanted to blame Chrome for not being better than FF cos

1) it had no add-ons

2) I "knew" it works faster only for google's sites and its affiliated ones

3) I was under the "Halo effect"of FF

However, Google chrome did what i had been waiting for. It launched add-ons and extensions like FF. and i got the chance to customize and compare both the browsers again. (the extensions and add-ons are available in the beta version and not the stable one...you'll have to install the beta version for trying these...Chrome beta available here)

And what i see is, Chrome is MUCH better than FF (so far, i am not sure if it will sustain..even FF lost the sense trying to get more add ons and speed and ended up losing on both)

Here are the list of extensions I am currently using

1) Gmail Checker Plus - No need to go to gmail.com. You get a list of all you new emails and also a preview in the window you are using. Nice updates and all the options like archiving, deleting, spamming, etc in the embedded window.

2) WOT - I was waiting for this one for a long time. Web of Trust is an excellent site which provides you results about how safe a site is. I was a fan of this on FF and now its on Chrome too.

3) AdThwart - Blocks unnecessary ads on the websites. Heaven!!!

4) Aviary - Screenshots of the webpage and editing online. IT's pretty cool Though I am not sure if the privacy-maniac people will like it. You can capture images as and when you want from others' profiles on any of the social networking sites (it's also done by the snipping tool available in Windows Vista)

5) Chrowety - By far the most amazing extension i have seen on FF or Chrome. It allows you to see your tweets in an embedded pop up with alerts and constant updates. You can do all the actions from a small window without going to the site or using any other API for twitter.

6) RSS feeds - Chrome never had any support for RSS feeds and now it has several. I use three of 'em. Google reader Plus (customizing google reader), Chrome reader (to get the RSS feeds from the blogs and sites) and Google Reader Notifier(as the name suggests, to let me know if there are any new posts available)

7)Easy youtube Downloader - :)

8) Inline search and lookup - for getting information from various sites like Wikipedia, Answer.com, or dictionaries about a word or term i find on the sites. It again grabs and shows the information in an embedded window. You dont have to go to a new tab.

9) Vocabbi - Online dictionary and translator. It's pretty cool. Trust me.

10) Feedly – A RSS reader which organizes your RSS feed in an amazing format.

Most of these extensions are so useful as I can pretty much work from ONE browser window and 2-3 tabs and still get to do all my surfing activities without switching between tabs or other 3rd party apps.

The incredible thing about this is - Chrome still loads much faster than FF even after like 13 extensions installed. Though some of these extensions are available for FF as well, it's the speed that acts as the Point of Difference (POD) for Chrome. And again, the loading time for FF is like 5 times more than chrome...you get my point? It's light, fast and pleasure to use.

I pray that Google don't get carried away and keep the interface clean just like it is now. If at all, it goes the FF way of trying to please all the users, I'll have to look for a new browser (which i doubt will be available to compete against Chrome)

There are a few more which sync all Gmail, wave, voicemail, and reader in ONE button. Though you cant get previews, you ll get to know if there is any new update available.

I am still searching for some nice extensions and if you get any, let me know.

Adios,

Kunal

P.S.: These are the extensions that i am using and found useful. Some may work for others while some may not...there are other Google chrome extensions for social networking sites. Try them!!

FF i'll miss you.

Stalin's New post and my thoughts!!!

One of the bloggers from my college, Stalin Mohanty, has a penchant for writing simple yet amazing thoughts and can lead the reader to think about the realities of life. Though he sticks to marketing and other related topics, his one of the recent posts really triggered my thought process and made me comment on the post.

The original post and comment can be read here

I am re-posting the post and MY comment here too.

Stalin's Post -

Deepak: Stalin, you did not wish me on my birthday
Stalin : Oh, i am so sorry. Your birthday just went right.
Deepak: Anyways you forgot. That's the truth
Stalin : Why you removed your birth day stauts from Orkut
Deepak: I was just checking who were wishing without knowing it from Orkut, but i was expecting your call.
Stalin : I am really sorry. Belated happy birthday.

This is a part of my conversation with my friend Deepak two days after his birth day. No body can deny the fact that we are used to web,internet and social networking sites now a days. I can even say that we are totally dependent on internet. Previously we have to remember so many things , but now no need. On social networking sites friend's,relatives birth day keep coming and we simply by watching that wish them. But if someone will hide his/her birth day status, then we will not be able to wish him/her. There comes the problem. The person who may be expecting your wish will definitely feel bad. Because emotion plays a very crucial role in every human's life. Unintentionally we will keep hurting our beloved persons. What can i term this fault of human or technology?

MY comment -

What was the last time we left our room without our mobile phone!?
What was the last time we spent an entire day without checking our emails?
what was the last time we had a "real" conversation with out loved ones!

There are many such questions one can ask him/herself and get into an introspection mode without getting any answer. The worst part is, we don't feel guilty of losing out on our human touch today. We feel "illiterate" if we do not have the knowledge of the latest social networking site. Most of us have 200+ friends on Orkut and Facebook. But how many will come to us when we need. If someone doesn't poke us on Facebook or send an Application request for a long time, we ignore him 'cos he's ain't a friend of us anymore. This is the reality of our life today.

I have altered the definition of Friends as - A contact whom you prominently see on your social networking profile list. That's it. There ain't no real friends no more. Many of you might disagree, but think of the time you last forgot everything else - your cell, smses, mails, and just sat down and let your heart out to a person.

We have become skeptical of humans. We find solace in playing Farmville. We get the kick by playing Mafia wars. But we do not have the time to remember our friends' birthdays. Technology empowers us to gain knowledge, but imprisons us in it's claws.

Nice post Stalin. Keep it up.

What I find is that we have slowly detached ourselves from others. But that's not the core of the problem. The problem is we are detached from our true self too. It is not the fault of anyone but us.


Regards,
Kunal