Most of us Windows users find Internet Explorer already installed on our computers. A little voice inside our head says: “Internet? I want to explore that. Oh Look! An Internet Explorer!”

Our lives are therefore spent in ignorance of a better browser – one that is loaded with convenient features, a simple and clean interface, and offers us a spyware and virus-free existence. Oh yeah, and it’s a lot faster – but I don’t know if that’s important to you.

IE currently has about 77% of the market when it comes to internet browsing. Firefox is at 15%, though it is very young, and is growing significantly. With the release of Firefox 3 though, and as people begin to rage against the machine, things may change drastically.

Firefox is clean and easy to use. Don’t believe me? Install it. It will not ask you to verify that your windows version is not pirated, it will not ask you to backup everything you hold dear and to close everything you a running, and it will not ask you to restart your computer. Firefox installs rapidly, a portent of your browsing experience for the rest of your life.

Studies done on graphic and media-intensive websites show that Firefox loads a few seconds faster than IE. Also, more intuitive than its competitor, Firefox downloads and displays text first, prioritizing what is most important and least important, displaying the page before it downloads all its components. IE’s slower approach is much more frustrating.

The coolest and most important feature of Firefox is their many add-ons. Crafted by software developers, both internal and external, these add-ons function like widgets, tailoring Firefox to your custom specifications. For example:

Roboform: While Firefox, like most other browsers, remembers your passwords, Roboform goes a step beyond. Many websites ask you for your billing information, and ask you to fill out a whole host of forms each time you register to a new site. Roboform has you fill out a form once, and, with the click of the button, fills out any new form you encounter. This feature is convenient and saves a tremendous amount of time.

Foxmarks: If you, like me, bookmark your favorite sites right and left, you will love this add-on. Foxmarks automatically saves your bookmarks and allows you to access your bookmarks from a different computer. Thus, in the event of a computer crash, or the more likely event that you are not at your own computer, you can still show your friends your favorite website, or make sure to track that ebay item you had your eye on.

Adblock Plus: Know those annoying ads that practically pop off the screen while flashing bright colors? Ever have one of those constantly distract you while trying to watch an online video? Right click, and adblock makes it go bye-bye.

The best part of trying Firefox is that you have nothing to lose. It installs so quickly that there is no reason not to try it out for yourself.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuTgi8TP-p0]

For more info, check out these two highly detailed blog posts:

One and Two

Permalink  |  Published in Technology Tactics

When starting a business you have to decide on which critical applications you want to use. The most critical is email. Most business go with Microsoft: Exchange and Oulook with a dose of Blackberry.

We propose, that with Google Apps, Gmail deserves a long hard look.

Gmail For Business

One great feature about Gmail is that it allows you to use your domain name when creating an email address. Thus, instead of the cost of setting up your own domain name and using Exchange and Outlook, Gmail provides you the benefits of an easy to use interface and ample storage, all under the Gmail umbrella. The best part about this is that nobody has to know that you are using Gmail! BillGates@microsoft.com goes straight to his Gmail inbox without us knowing about it!

Organization Without Having to Organize

With Exchange and Outlook, all your mail can be organized into neat folders, a process that is generally tedious and only as organized as you are. Though folders in the form of labels are still available in Gmail, organization is instantaneous with features such as their search bar. The search ability is perhaps the most important feature of Gmail and allows you to basically “Google” your mail finding exactly the email that you were looking for. Instead of sifting through your accounting folder, simply search for the name of your accountant and your folder is instantly generated.

Lots of Storage

Gmail is efficient and easy to use, with ample storage and many great features. It has become so obvious that Gmail is the way to go that I wince every time I see an address that is still @aol, or @yahoo. Unlike the latter email providers, Gmail is spam free and has a clean look. With the storage space that they provide, deleting email has become obsolete. And if you ever run out of the 6 gig that Gmail provides for free, one can pay a small fee to extend their storage space.

Why bother with the cost and headache of Outlook and Exchange? Doing things the Microsoft way locks you into a box where updates, more software, new tools and email cleanups are required. Gmail interfaces beautifully with your blackberry and your iphone, and is a great solution for business email.

Check back soon for some more in-depth analysis of the other Google Apps.

Permalink  |  Published in Technology Tactics