toolbars
Work
OpenOffice.org Screenshots Preview A Ribbon-Like Toolbar
12:40AM Kevin Purdy | Sun Microsystems’ OpenOffice.org developers have posted prototype screenshots and demonstrations, and while the toolbar content and look could likely change, the commenters are not apparently happy with the very Microsoft-Office-like “ribbon.” Some argue the look doesn’t play well on non-Windows systems, and others say it’s just another learning curve for the noble-intentioned, but often disadvantaged, open source office suite. Let’s hear what you think of the prototype, or where else Sun should look for design ideas, in the comments. [via Slashdot]
Organise
Google Toolbar Labs (IE Only) Adds Auto-Location To Maps
12:15AM Kevin Purdy | If you’re an Internet Explorer user and love you some Google Maps, Google now offers some Toolbar Labs, which are basically the standard Google Toolbar recompiled with experimental features. Along with a Simplified Chinese Toolbar, the other Labs remix right now adds auto-location feature. It’s kind of like Google Maps Mobile’s version, but using nearby Wi-Fi spots to pinpoint you and make your default business searches—pizza, car repair, bicycle shop—pinned to your location.
Fix
Add A Separator To Safari’s Bookmark Bar
12:00AM Kevin Purdy | Reader James missed the ability to add a bookmark toolbar separator, a la Firefox’s “New Separator,” to the Safari browser. So he made his own using a wee bit of JavaScript trickery. More »
Communicate
Digg To Launch StumbleUpon-Style Toolbar
12:00AM Kevin Purdy | A Flickr user and Digg beta tester posted the above screenshot of the toolbar in development by the 900-lb. gorilla of link-sharing services. It’s JavaScript-based, offers Twitter-style URLs, and meant for hardcore Diggers. As you can see in the upper-right, the Digg toolbar, which should work with any modern browser, offers a StumbleUpon-like “Random” button to take you to a new, popular-on-Digg page, based in part on your own past Digg activity. And social network sharing links are ready to roll as well. It’s obviously not something a casual Digg voter would get into, but would having a random Digg pointer make the link-voting site worth your free time? Cast your votes, and impressions, in the comments. playing around w/diggbar bera [scottmeinzer's Flickr stream via TechCrunch] More »
Communicate
Friendbar Makes Twitter And Facebook Updates Easy In Firefox
9:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Friendbar is a toolbar add-on for Firefox that can rapidly update your Facebook or Twitter statuses, and show a ticker-style stream of your friends’ own text and photos. Friendbar continuously updates you on the status of people in your Facebook and Twitter networks, though both the text and the photos can be toggled on and off. To avoid running afoul of Twitter’s access restrictions, Friendbar lets you dial down its update frequency, tweak how many messages it displays, and set how often it shows you new stuff. When posting updates, you’ve got instant TinyURL creation for the page you’re looking at. If you can’t pretend not to need a quick Facebook or Twitter fix while you’re browsing other things, Friendbar makes it easy and fast to get your social data fix. Friendbar is free and works wherever Firefox does. Friendbar More »
Work
Google Toolbar 5 Released For Firefox
8:00AM Gina Trapani | All platforms running Firefox: Google has updated their browser toolbar for Firefox, and it integrates Google services with your browser chrome better than ever. Frankly, we’re not so big on browser toolbars around here, but if you’re a big Google Apps, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Bookmarks, and Notebook user, the Google Toolbar looks really useful. Probably the most impressive feature is the ability to set up profiles—like “Personal” and “Professional”—and associate web form auto-fill information with them, like addresses, credit card numbers, and phone numbers. If you’re willing to give the big G that info in your toolbar, filling in web forms becomes a one-click affair. You can also add Google Gadgets to your toolbar, like Wikipedia and YouTube. Check out the Google video clip of the toolbar in action after the jump. More »
Battle of the Windows Toolbars
5:00AM Gina Trapani | Earlier today we mentioned the Quick Launch toolbar in our best ways to make Windows more productive. But Windows comes bundled with several toolbars that offer search, web site launching, and media player controls—and at least one reader can’t live without his toolbar setup. What toolbars do you have on your Windows desktop, and which is the most useful? Vote in the battle of the Windows toolbars after the jump. More »
Auto-Hide Firefox Status Bar Icons
12:18AM Kevin Purdy | The How-To Geek points to a nifty fix for Firefox extension fans whose status bars are seriously cluttered. Using a custom script and the Stylish extension, you can get your status bar icons to auto-hide and appear only when you move your mouse down to them. A lot of extensions pack handy utilities into their status bar icons, but it’s not always helpful to have a weight-lifting fox, a monkey, three or four exclamation points, and a weather sign staring at you while you’re trying to work. To use this trick, install Stylish if you don’t have it already, then head to the link below and hit the “Load into Stylish” button. Image by The How-To Geek. Statusbar: Mouseover for clutter [via The How-To Geek] More »
