Top Extension Picks for Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer (IE).

Hey all! I thought it would be a good idea to share with you my favorite extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer! There primarily security based, but there are few non-security ones I thought you would enjoy as well.

Chrome:

1. Web of Trust - Web of Trust shows you which sites are safe to visit based off the ratings given by fellow WOT users. It’s a great site and helped me come avoid some suspicious sights while searching.
2. AdBlock Plus - Just like the Firefox version (though not as powerful yet), it’s design to block all those pesky ads. It does a very solid job of blocking most ads; however, due to the nature of Chrome, it’s not nearly as powerful as the Firefox version. With Chrome 17, there are APIs that will allow it to achieve Firefox perfection and start blocking ads within videos and embedded files.
3. Google Mail Checker - If you use Gmail, this app displays the unread count for your email and gives you quick access to your Gmail inbox at any time.
4. LastPass – This is a free password manager for your web browser. Allows for easy password management for nearly all your websites.
5. ScriptNo - If you used “NoScript” on Firefox, this will be familiar to you. This extension blocks scripts/pop-ups from running in website that takes up valuable resources and is just a major annoyance. This extension is still in the “experimental” stage, but does a great job. I recommend that if you download it, change the Default mode from “Blocked” to “Allow” and just block what you don’t want.

• Here are some additional security extensions for those who want a high level of protection:
  • SaferChrome - This is a great security extension that makes your web browsing safer by identifying and preventing security and privacy breaches.
  • Dr.Web Anti-Virus Link Checker – This extension allows you to scan web pages and files.
  • Secbrowsing – This extension checks to see if Chrome is running any out-of-date plugins that have security vulnerabilities.
  • KBB SLL Enforcer – This extension enforces encryption on the websites you visit, greatly improving your browsing security and privacy (especially when browsing over Public Wi-Fi networks). There is also a dedicated button available for those who want easy access to customization.
  • Click&Clean – This is a free tool that’ll scan for malware, delete your history, cookies, cache, temporary files, clean up your hard drive, securely delete files, and allows you to access to the Chrome’s task manager, hidden, advanced settings and monitoring tools. There are also a ton of other tools available in this extension!
  • PasswordFail Extension – This extension is pretty simple in what it does. It warns you of websites that store your password in plain text, which is a very insecure way of storing one’s password.
  • View Thru – This app is nice since it displays the full URL when you’re presented with a shortened URL, so you know where you’re being directed to.
• Some additional ones I recommend for Chrome that you might enjoy outside of my Top Picks and Security are:
  • Google +1 Button - Allows for quick +1′ing and sharing of a webpage.
  • Google+ Notifications - If you use Google+, this extension allows quick access to your Google+ notifications.
  • TooManyTabs for Chrome – If you’re one who has a ton of tabs open at once, this is a great tool for managing. Quickly view your tabs, suspend them to reduce the amount of tabs open while being able to bring the back at any time.
  • MuteTab - Allows you to find tabs that are making noise and quickly mute them.

• Rapportive – This app is a great tool for getting information about the people who you send and receive email with every day. It integrates with Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more and grabs that person’s information from those sources.
• BugMeNot Lite - This extension allows you to bypass registration for sites you really just don’t care about. When sites (especially forums) require registration to view or download the content, use this extension to generate a username and password and get what you need.

Firefox:

1. Web of Trust - Web of Trust shows you which sites are safe to visit based off the ratings given by fellow WOT users. It’s a great site and helped me come avoid some suspicious sights while searching.
2. AdBlock Plus – The original Adblock Plus, allowing for the most powerful ad blocking on Firefox. Also allows for customization of filters and a context option for blocking/unblocking images, Flash, Java, etc.
3. InstantFox – Jealous of your friends with Chrome or IE and their ability to do a search right from their address bar? Well, this extension will combine your search and address bar to duplicate that exact feature!
4. NoScript – This extension is great for blocking unwanted scripts and popups, along with blocking known exploits and security vulnerabilities to provide a much safer browsing experience.
5. LastPass – This is a free password manager for your web browser. Allows for easy password management for nearly all your websites.

Internet Explorer:

1. Web of Trust - Web of Trust shows you which sites are safe to visit based off the ratings given by fellow WOT users. It’s a great site and helped me come avoid some suspicious sights while searching.
2. Adblock for Internet Explorer – This is an Adblock program that is pretty solid for IE. It has a limit of 200 blocks per day for the free version, but still a decent option for those who refuse to leave IE.
3. LastPass – This is a free password manager for your web browser. Allows for easy password management for nearly all your websites.
4. KeyScrambler Personal – This is a free add-on that encrypts your keystrokes for added security, especially on public networks.
5. Dr.Web LinkChecker for IE – This extension allows you to scan web pages and files.

Ice Cream Sandwich is Not the Answer to All Android Tablet Problems

I keep hearing and reading people talk about ICS (Android 4.0) like it is the savior of Android tablets. Saying things like, “X tablet will be so much better when it has Ice Cream Sandwich”. I just don’t believe that. Granted it was a huge leap in UI for phones and brought a lot of much needed polish and consistency to the platform, ICS is not a stretch from Honeycomb (Android 3.0). When I bounce from using my Galaxy Nexus to a Honeycomb tablet, I feel like they are so close in experience that there isn’t much difference at all. Sure Ice Cream Sandwich will make it easier to develop apps that scale specifically for a phone or tablet, but that in itself doesn’t mean developers will flock to making apps.

What worked with Android on phones won’t work with tablets. Phones are disposable, cheap and for most, a necessity. Android tablets are the opposite. They are too expensive, most are tied to a carrier, and don’t offer any clear benefits over one another. Look at the Kindle Fire and Nook as proof. They are both under $300 with no type of contract and offer a very specific benefit and set of features to customers. They are winning because of price and strong ecosystem, same as the iPad.

Just like HTC and Motorola with their phones, Android has no “Halo Tablet”, no Nexus Tablet. It was supposed to be the Motorola XOOM but that was tied to carrier, too expensive and had shit software. It just was a botched launched and started Android tablets off in a bad direction. Apple has the iPad, Amazon has the Kindle, and Barnes & Noble has the Nook. They all have a single name to represent a unified brand. It’s easy for customers to understand and buy into. Samsung has come pretty close with their Galaxy Tab line and they are the most successful traditional Android tablet manufacturer, which isn’t saying much.

Android’s tablet problem is multifaceted. You need the attention of developers to make great apps, but for that you need a product that is interesting and shows promise. So far, all the manufacturers have given us is empty promises with nothing very interesting.

With CES upon us, I still don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure there are some cool ideas from Lenovo and Asus, but it takes more than cool ideas. It’s about simplicity and mind share. Neither of which Asus and Lenovo are particularly known for.

I think Google realizes this and that’s why they may make a tablet themselves. Like the Nexus program for phones, Google needs to get some buzz around Android tablets. A “Google” tablet is what will catch people’s attention, and if it’s good, hold on to it.

So yes, ICS will help Android tablets,especially from an app development side, but it is not the cure all everyone seems to be making it out to be.

Why the Galaxy Nexus can’t Replace my iPhone 4S

There are a lot of thoughts rolling through my mind on all what to say in this post, hopefully I can get them out like I want. First, let me preface this whole thing with a little info about my history in mobile for those who don’t know. I love tech and trying out new operating systems. I use a lot of the main platforms frequently and have switched back and forth several times. I am currently an iPhone 4S full time user, I love Windows Phone, and like Android also. I have been using Android since it’s launch on the G1, and have used every version to date, along with multiple skinned devices. I have been called an Apple Fanboy before, I personally do not label myself that because I am honest about the products that work best for me. They just happen to be mostly Apple. If that labels me a Fanboy, then so be it.

Okay, now that you know where I am coming from, let’s talk about the Galaxy Nexus. I was really hesitant to buy the Nexus to try, knowing how hard it would be to replace my iPhone. I waited a couple of days after the release and could not pass it up any longer. I needed to get the phone and use it extensively, day in and day out. I wanted to experience Ice Cream Sandwich on Google’s flagship phone, especially since I have owned the past two Nexus phones.

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Editorial: Can Competition Break Multiplayer Games?

Is competition in video games always a good thing? In single player games, too little competition makes a game boring while too much makes a game too frustrating. But what about multiplayer games, when the competition relies on your opponents and their knowledge of the game?

In some cases, competition can break a video game. Take Zynga’s Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends for example. Any who plays it knows, Words with Friends is little more than a Scrabble knockoff. However, Scrabble hinges on in-person play and a reliance on existing vocabulary. Words with Friends omits these characteristics and opens the game up to a thoughtless style of play that is not about making words but about systematically trying out high scoring tiles. In my experience, the following words are common: ma, sh, qi, nu, jax, zee and qat. The game allows players to place tiles in any configuration and play unknown words without penalty. As a result, Words with Friends is a game about mindlessly combining tiles with no regard for vocabulary. If you want to win, you absolutely must play this way because if you don’t, your opponent will. When both players want to win and play this way, the game devolves into a silly exercise in filling up the board. Competition makes Words with Friends little more than a drawn out game of eeny meeny miny moe.

Similarly, in Hanging with Friends, an adaptation of Hang Man, the easiest way to win is to use four letter words with common letters. Think about it, if you encounter a word _ A _ _, the possibilities are immense (Daze, Fats, Main, etc.). Opponents interested in winning, trade 4-letter words back and forth hoping that the odds eventually tip in their favor. Thus, the game becomes blind guesswork and the winner is based on luck alone.

I argue that removing skill from a game makes the game not a game all but gambling. The stakes are high and the players’ level of control is lowered. If players are trying to win a game, they will implement certain strategies, even if these strategies break the game. Excessive competition in a game, that does not allow for skill, makes a game no better than a scratch off ticket from the gas station or a round of craps in Vegas. Video games should use odds but games should not be reduced to odds alone.

This is true of many games, not just Zynga games. If it comes down to winning a game, people will use the best weapons, camp the best spots and exclusively play certain game modes. And gamers will do this even if it not the most fun way to play the game. This isn’t always easily recognizable and I am guilty of it as well but once I realize this is happening, the game is ruined for me, even if I’m winning more than I’m losing.

UP, UP, and Away