Bookmarklets – Add Magical Powers to Your Browser

Enhance your Browsing Experience Using Bookmarklets

OVERVIEW: Learn how to use bookmarklets to get every drop of power out of your favorite browser.

What are Bookmarklets?

Bookmarklets are special bookmarks that add one-click functionality to a browser or web page. They look like normal links, but are written in Javascript and can perform different tasks depending on what page you’re visiting, what text you have highlighted, etc. When clicked, a bookmarklet can apply filters to the page you’re viewing, open prompts for searches, or a host of other helpful features. Bookmarklets are added to your browser as a bookmark and usually work in all browser.

What Can Bookmarklets Do for You?

There is no limit to the type of things that you can do with some clever bookmarklets, but here are just a few of the things that I use them for on a regular basis:

• Open your email app (Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) with the title of the current page and a link to it; poised for you to enter a recipient. (In one click.)
• Subscribe to a new blog in Google Reader without all of the annoying clicking.
• Strip out all of a pages junk (ads, header, footer, sidebar, etc.) and send just what you want to your printer.
• Look up Definitions, Translations, Currency Conversions and other useful information with one click.

How to Use Bookmarklets

Acquiring and using bookmarklets is both incredibly powerful and simple. Follow the steps below.

1. First you need to make sure that the Bookmarks toolbar is visible in your browser. View> Toolbars> Bookmarks Toolbar (Links in Internet Explorer)
2. Find a web page that has bookmarklets that you can "grab" (See list below under the Additional Resources heading.)
3. Click and drag a bookmarklet to the Bookmarks/Links toolbar on your browser.
4. Click on the bookmarklet when you want to use its functionality.
5. The Javascript will run and perform the specified action.

The following video shows you how add bookmarklets to your browser and use them to improve your web surfing.

Take your Bookmarklets on the Road

Bookmarklets are not just useful in your desktop browser, they also provide extra functionality and convenience to your mobile browser. In fact, they’re even move helpful on a mobile browser, because they make up for the lack of flexibility that a full size screen and keyboard provide. I use Xmarks to sync my favorites across all of my browsers and iTunes to sync them to Safari on my iPhone. If you use another smartphone (Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian), you can sync your bookmarklets too.

Here is a list of great bookmarks for your mobile browser.

Additional Resources

Now that you know how awesome bookmarklets are, you probably want to know where to get them. Here’s a list of places where you can find bookmarklets to do just about anything you need.

Digital Inspiration’s Guide to Most Useful Bookmarklets for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.

Your HTML Source’s Bookmarklets Explainedx

Marklet.com’s Bookmarklets Directory

LifeHack.com’s 20 Useful Bookmarklets

LifeHacker.com’s 10 Must Have Bookmarklets

ToThePC.com’s 30 Useful Bookmarklets for KickAss Web Browsing

See How to Convert Any Web Application into Destkop Software

Site Specific Browsers Put Web Apps on Your Desktop

OVERVIEW: You will learn how to turn your favorite web applications into standalone desktop applications using site specific browser tools.

What Is a Site Specific Browser?

A Site Specific Browser (SSB) is is an application with an embedded browser designed to work exclusively with a single web application. It doesn’t have the menus, toolbars and accoutrements of a normal web browser.

Benefits of Site Specific Browsers

OK, I know I "can" break web based apps into standalone desktop apps, but why "should" I? Well, there are a number of benefits to SSBs.

• Use just what you need. Crop the window down to just the usable part of the application. (Pandora)
• Control each application separately.
• When one application crashes (and they always do), you all of your other tabs don’t go down in flames too.
• Have One Application visible all the time.

What Sites have I Applicationized

Pandora  – I like to be able to control this just like I would iTunes when it is palying. It just works well as a really tiny, really awesome little music player off in its own littl corner of my screen.

RememberTheMilk  – When I want to manage or add to-do’s to my task list, it is very handy to have RTM sitting in its own little window.

Google Voice  – Truth be told, I don’t use GV that much, but when I am using it, I just keep it off to the side.

Worth Considering?

Email – If you can’t make the jump from Outlook to full webmail, this may help ease you along. (Kind of like the patch for dektop junkies.)

Meebo Instant Messenger

Twitter App – There are a bunch of nice desktop Twitter apps (TweetDeck, Seesmic, Twhirl, etc.), but there are also some cool web based ones too (TwitHive, Seesmic Web App, GTwit, HootSuite, etc.). If these float your boat, you can turn them into a full desktop applicaiton.

Google Reader – Some people use Google Reader as a power tool for the web. These users may enjoy splitting it off as a standalone applicaiton.

How to Make Site Specific Browser Apps for Your Desktop

There are a few tools that make creating these standalone applications simple. You just install one of the tools listed below. These tools create a framework on your machine that allows the web sites to function as independent applicaitons. Then, you create your applications from a simple wizard.

Each tool has its own secific steps, so pick the one that is appropriate to your operating systems and get started.

Here are some of the ones that I have tried on the three major operating systems.

Windows:

Mozilla Prism -  This is built by Mozilla, so it uses the Gecko (Firefox) rendering engine to run your web apps on the desktop. Bonus – you get to use Firefox extensions and Greasemonkey scripts to customize your desktop applications.

Bubbles – This Windows only tool gives you a very simple wizard to turn your favorite site into an applicaiton. It also has a small but powerful set of extensions.

Google Chrome (Browser, not OS) – To put a Chrome Application Shortcut to Gmail, Google Reader, Twitter, Facebook, or any other webapp you like to keep open in a separate window, open the site in Chrome. From the Page menu, choose "Create application shortcuts." From there decide to put your shortcut on the desktop, quick launch bar, and/or Start Menu.

Mac:

Fluid – This Mac only tool is built on the webkit (Safari and Chrome) rendering engine. It is very simple to use and creates stable web applications. You can also use most Greasemonkey scripts to customize your new creations.

Mozilla Prism -  See Windows section above.

Linux:

Mozilla Prism -  See Windows section above.

Video Walkthrough

The following video shows how to turn a Web Service into a Desktop Application using Site Specific Browser technology.

Cool Hack

Put links to the application launcher in your Bookmarks. Then, you can launch it straight out to a standalone from your browser.

What Sites Would You Put on the Desktop?

What applications do you think are best suited as standalone desktop applications?

I would love to hear what you think. Let me know what sites you have converted to a SSB in the comments below.

Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless – Product Review

Another "iPhone Killer" is Not Ready for Prime Time

It seems that the biggest kiss of death that could ever hit a mobile phone is "iPhone Killer". My wife is a Verizon die hard and refuses to switch to AT&T to get an iPhone. With the much ballywhooed release of the Motorola Droid, we were both excited for her to actually get an awesome phone for herself. I told her on Saturday morning that I was taking her to the Verizon store to buy her a Motorola Droid. I know, I’m kind of an awesome husband.

Hardware

Let’s make this short and sweet. When we got to the store, and tried the phone out, we were soooooo disappointed. Everything about it was just such a let down. The device had more jagged poking edges to scar a hand for life. It feels kind of flimsy and cheap in your hands.

Software Interface

The interace and user experience on this phone are horrendous. Everything you try to do is flakey and jumpy. Menus (if you can find them) are unintuitive and confusing. Stuff seems to mysteriously open and close as if controlled by some spastic prankster. Yikes!

The applications were even more confusing. I’m a huge user and fan of most of Google’s applications and thougth that this would really be cool. Well, I was wrong. The calendar is just a confusing affront to the senses. Ugly, confusing, and bad. Adding an appointment or contact was very frustrating. The maps application that I heard so much about was dreadful. You can’t figure out how to do anything in there. I can just see my mom and dad in the car trying to find a restaurant and just screaming at one another. Not good.

Video Review of the Motorola Droid

I took a few minutes to put my thoughts on video to express my disappointment in this product.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an iPhone killer, keep looking. This thing is a Verizon/Motorolla Killer. The iPhone is supposed to be coming to Verizon in 2010, do yourself a favor and wait until then.

Contest – Google Voice Invite Giveaway

One Number to Rule them All

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you must have heard about Google Voice. Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) is a cool new phone service that gives you the power of a sophisticated corporate phone service for free. Here are some of the great things that you can do with a Google Voice account:

• Google voicemail: voicemail like email
• Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
• Custom greetings: vary voicemail greetings by caller
• International calling: low cost calls to the world
• Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS
• Share voicemails: forward, embed, or download voicemails

Those features are available if you want to keep your existing cellphone number. Take a look at some of them in action.

If you don’t mind using a new number supplied by Google, you can also get these awesome features:

• One number: a single phone number that rings all your phones
• Free SMS: send, receive & store text messages online
• Block calls: send unwanted callers straight to voicemail
• Record calls: record phone calls and store them online
• Conference calls: join several people into a single call
• Screen callers: hear who is calling before you pick up

See what you can do with these features:

Google Voice Giveaway Rules

I have been using Google Voice since it was Grand Central and I love all of the cool things that you can do with it. I have some invites to give away to three lucky VitaminCM.com readers.

Let’s keep it real simple: Leave a comment below about what you would use Google Voice to do. (Be creative.) On Friday, November 13th I will pick three completely random commenters and make Friday the 13th their lucky day.

Good Luck!

P.S. I’m working on getting a few Google Wave invites. I’ll do the same when the come in.