1. AdBlock Plus

Bad for webmasters hoping to earn money through advertising, but good for Internet users who don’t want to wait for pesky ads to load, AdBlock plus saves Internet users time by telling Firefox not to load them. A simple interface lets users disable the plugin on a per-site basis if needed.

2. Google Minimalist

The Google Minimalist plugin gives users a sleek, simple interface for the Google search engine. A small button on the status bar gives easy access to the search engine.

3. Classic Compact Firefox theme

By installing this theme in Firefox, users get more of their screen for normal use. This plugin eliminates spacing between Firefox elements to minimize the amount of display real estate the browser commands. Users who want to see more content and less interface will love this theme.

4. Searchbar Autosizer

Why waste screen space with a search field when no search is needed? The autosizer plugin reduces the size of that search bar, expanding it only when it is needed. When collapsed, the address bar expands, exposing the vital information it contains.

5. Greasemonkey

Use this plugin to change the way Firefox behaves by leveraging Javascript and a convenient user interface. With this tool installed, Firefox users can modify their browser to their heart’s content. They can write their own scripts or access online libraries containing thousands of scripts that perform almost infinite modifications to their browser.

6. Faviconize Tab

Double click a tab to collapse it to a small icon. The Faviconize Tab plugin preserves space on the screen and on the Firefox interface while preserving accessibility by shrinking bulky elements.

7. Download Statusbar

This minimal status bar lets users keep track of downloads without wasting space or distracting them from their work. Install the Download Statusbar plugin to create this important effect.

8. AdBlock Plus Element Hiding Helper

Those who like AdBlock will love the\ additional flexibility offered by the Element Hiding Helper. This plugin gives Firefox users the ability to define screen elements to block that the AdBlock plugin might miss. This addresses advertising masked by scripts and other codes that often make it past the AdBlock perimeter.

9. Personal Menu

The Personal Menu puts Firefox users in the driver’s seat. They get to decide what their Web browser’s menu looks like and what items it includes. It presents only the options the user wants to see in the Firefox menu, while keeping all the other options hidden, but accessible with a single click of the mouse.

Firefox users should download these 9 plugins to increase their browser speed and reclaim more of their screen. After trying them all, they should keep the ones they find most useful and then continue their search for other ways to get more of what they want from Firefox.

This was a guest post by James Adams.
Enthusiastically involved with the upkeep of Cartridge Save, James blogs and writes numerous articles, and also makes sure he keeps track of all the ink and toner.

With mobile device sales growing, mobile security apps are proliferating as well. Of the hundreds of security apps available for your mobile device, there are six (three for the Android and three for the iPhone) that warrant special consideration.

Lookout for Android

This security app has received top accolades from CNET, PCWorld and TechCrunch, offering excellent services for data backup and restore, phone tracking, and anti-virus and malware protection, as well as a great visual interface. The app got kudos recently in Oregon after a man who’d lost several possessions in a home robbery was able to use his Lookout-protected Motorola phone in order to track down the criminal.

Fingerprint Security for iPhone

There are a number of fingerprint security apps available but this one pushes the envelope on biometric technology. Get futuristic on identity thieves by accessing your phone with nothing more than the lines on your thumb.

Security Shield for Android

This anti-theft and identity protection app utilizes GPS in order to allow for automatic real-time location tracking. And it’s web-based console and added protections against spyware and malware make it particularly useful for cellular devices.

Big Brother Camera Security for iPhone

Okay, full disclosure, this app was banned, but it’s so cool it simply has to be mentioned, in case you can jailbreak it into your device. The Big Brother Camera Security app allows you to remotely photograph the person stealing your phone or gaining unauthorized access to it. The ban came over concerns the app could also be used to violate privacy expectations by collecting user passcodes.

WaveSecure for Android

Developed by tenCube, this app won the Android Challenge 2 by offering users a robust way to remotely lock, track, and backup your cell phone. The app is easy to install and allows you to secure your uploaded media as well.

GadgetTrak for iPhone

GadgetTrak has won numerous awards and can essentially do the same thing Big Brother was banned for—remotely capturing photos of thieves—without compromise device passcodes. The newest push notification feature on this app sends a message to the device which attempts to trigger GPS tracking.

Mobile security will not diminish in importance as the years go on. Rather, the need for protecting you and your assets against malware, viruses, and identity theft will accelerate as hacking technology grows. Start equipping your devices with security apps now and avoid a giant headache later.

I have had the opportunity to play with the new Firefox 8 and I’ve seen a couple of new things included with the new version.

1. Start-up is now much faster.

This is because Firefox 8 comes with a new feature for tabs loading. I call it “Lazy Tabs”. Here’s what that means.

When you start your Firefox,  (if you’ve set the option to load tabs from last time), instead of waiting for all tabs to load simultaneously, Firefox starts loading only one tab (the one you see), and the rest of them are waiting for you to activate them, one by one, when you need them.
So when you click at one of them, that one starts loading.

Up until now, there was a Firefox Add-on, BarTab, that enabled this functionality in older versions, but now you don’t need it anymore.

2. You can do Twitter searches directly from address bar.

You don’t need to go to Twitter to conduct message searches. Now you can choose Twitter to be one of the default search engines for Firefox, and you can conduct your searches right from within Firefox 8.

Google, Yahoo, Bing and others are still available if you prefer using them. You can set your default search engine at the top-right side of Firefox, near the address bar, as shown in the screenshot above.

3. Add-ons installed by external applications are disabled by default.

This means that all add-ons that are installed by external applications must be explicitly switched on by the user. That’s a great thing, and let me tell you why.

For example, when you install a software, and it comes with a certain browser toolbar that tries to install itself automatically and without your permission, it will be stopped in its tracks.

4. ‘Downloads’ history is now more accessible.

This is a minor change, but still, it makes it easier to check Downloads history since now it can be accessed through opening browsing History panel from the menu.

It is no longer needed to open a separate window to see Downloads history. You can find everything right inside the History panel, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Mozilla Firefox 8 Download Link

Remember, this below is the link to Mozilla’s FTP server where they store the final release of Firefox 8. The official links will be available on November 8th.

Download Firefox 8 here. (Firefox Setup 8.0.exe)

Three phone makers will incorporate the new operating system, and those are the more high-brow brands of HTC and Samsung, as well as Nokia. As far as which service providers will carry the Microsoft phones, not much is known; however it is speculated that AT&T will carry both the HTC Surround and the Samsung Focus.

As far as the operating system itself goes, Windows lovers can expect everything that they love about the system in the palm of their hand. The phone is fun and extremely easy to use, and can handle way more than simple functions like searching on Bing.com or finding a phone number through Anywho.com.

The interface is broken up into six hubs for easy navigation, and the predominate focuses are on People, Pictures, Media, Marketplace, Microsoft Office, and Games.

Facebook is very easy to use on the interface, but the Twitter integration could still use some work. The photo and media hub is very similar to Zune which is nice because it allows users the ability to sync their phone content with that of their computer. For gamers, the integration of Xbox Live makes the Windows phones an exciting new addition to the smartphone market.

Like Android, the Windows user interface is also highly customizable so that you can have what you want at your fingertips at all times.
But perhaps the biggest accolade that can be given to the Windows series of phones is that they don’t come across as an iPhone knock-off. They truly have their own unique interface, and are capable of giving each user a unique experience.

Whether or not Microsoft will be able to succeed with its Windows phones will be another story. While many reviews have given Windows phones high marks, the late entry into the market has many worried that they won’t stay around. So if you are a die hard Windows fan, show your support and get a smartphone that you can sync with your computer – get a Windows phone.

There are 10 wallpapers in this collection that are officially included with Windows 8 Pre-Beta, Build 8102, (and are probably going to be included in wallpaper collection of Windows 8 final version).

The rest of them are simply beautiful products of creativity by a couple of gifted designers, and therefore I have decided to feature their remarkable work here in this post.

All of the featured wallpapers are high quality resolution (1680 x 1050 and 1920 x 1050).

I plan to cover more exciting technical details of Windows 8 in the next few blog posts. Until then, go ahead and download fresh Windows 8 wallpapers featured below for your desktop. I’m sure you’re going to find your next wallpaper among these.

Also, don’t forget to check out previous wallpaper packs featured here:

40 Official and Unofficial Windows 7 Wallpapers

80 High Quality Mozilla Firefox Wallpapers

20 Creatively Artistic Wallpapers To Spice Up Your Desktop

12 Cool Typography Desktop Wallpapers

Credits to great artists:
rehsup, enemia, pedrocasoa, MAkhdar, RealityOne

This post will be unusually short, since there really isn’t much to explain. Just type, click, and you’re ready to go.

WiFi HotSpot Creator is a small (374 KB) and free application that makes it all easy and fast.

What you see above in the screenshot is all. That’s all there is to it.

1. Type the name of WiFi connection that you want to create.
This name will appear to other devices when they search for a wireless hotspot. What you type in here is not really important. It can be anything you want it to be.

2. Type your desired password into the Passphrase field. Other devices will use this password to be able to use your shared internet connection via WiFi.

3. From the NIC drop-down choose the way your laptop is currently connected to internet. For example, if you are connected via WiFi, you choose “Wireless Network Connection”. If you get access to internet via LAN cable, then you choose that one.

Notice that you can share your “Wired” connection with other devices “Wirelessly”. Your laptop will transmit WiFi signal and therefore other devices will be able to connect to internet, even if your laptop is connected to internet via cable.

One bad thing

One thing that I didn’t like about this app, is that it installs a browser toolbar without even asking you.

If you use Google Chrome, you don’t need to worry, but in other browsers, you will notice additional toolbar has been installed. That’s not a big problem though, you can easily uninstall it from the browser options.

Download link below

Download WiFi Hotspot Creator here.

This, currently, is the fastest and simplest way to send large files online to your contacts’ email address. Or to even more than one of them at once.

To see how simple it is, here are the 3 steps to send your large files:

1. Go to web app, or open the desktop version of it.

2. Enter email address you want to send the file to.

3. Select, or drag & drop files, and send!

Now let’s see some details related to this immensely useful, and yet, free web app.
It is created by a newly-founded company, Kicksend.
Yes, you have to register to be able to send large files, but the process is surprisingly simple and fast, with only 3 things you need to write:
Your name, your email address, and your desired password.

That’s all. You’re registered. And no, you don’t even need to click on those confirmation links sent to your email. You can start sending files right away.
You can even login with your Facebook account, if you really don’t wish to register.

One of the most impressive things of this app

is that it’s ridiculously simple! Everybody can use it, no matter what their computer skills are, or if they even have them (Grandma included). See the screenshot below, and you’ll see why.

As you can see, the interface is pretty simple and it gets straight to the point. All in one page. In the upper right corner you can also see your free sending limit for the current month.

If you want slightly more

Every month, you are allowed to send 1GB large files. It depends on your needs, but for average user, that should be enough.
And if it isn’t, then there are couple of steps you can take to expand your limit from 1GB to 1550 mb. It’s easy, if you need the additional space, and it’s pretty fast to do. The things you can do are captured in the screenshot below.

If you want a LOT more

If 1.5 GB still isn’t sufficient for your needs, then… There’s one last step you can take.
Purchase one of their premium packages. Then you can have 10+ GBs. Since I don’t write posts to promote anyone, nor am I writing about apps that are not free, I won’t go into much detail here, but you can see the rest on their website. I covered the free part which I think will be useful to most of the average need users.

One downside of it all

The limit for sending files directly using web app is 150 mb. If you need to send files larger than 150 mb, you’ll have to use their desktop app. It’s still free, and fast to download, but still, it’s one additional step, which I didn’t like.

Finally, the link to their website is below

Go to KickSend and send huge files.

There is no direct way to do this, yet, but here’s a short and easy workaround that will add your Facebook friends to Google+ in no time.

You will need a Yahoo! account and (of course) Google (+) Plus account.

1. Go to your Yahoo! mail account and go to “Contacts” tab. Then click “Import Contacts”.

2. From the given options, choose “Facebook”. After that, you will be asked to grant permission to Yahoo to access your Facebook contacts, so you go ahead and click “Okay”.

Then you will see short message “Retrieving data from Facebook…” And just so you know, this process might take a while… It depends on number of your friends, if you have 1000+, you’ll need to be patient for a moment (however ironic that may sound)

3. Refresh page and go to your “Contacts” tab again. Check the button to select them all from the list. Now click “Actions” and from the drop-down menu choose “Export All…”

4. From the available options of exporting, choose Yahoo CSV format and click “Export Now”.

You will be asked to enter a Captcha anti-spam code here, so you do that. Then wait for about 5 seconds and you will see your contacts have been exported and downloaded into a Yahoo CSV file format. We will use that file now to upload the contacts to your Gmail account.

5. Go to your Gmail account. Click on “Contacts” button located below “Mail” button on the upper left side. Then click “More” and from the drop-down menu choose “Import”.

6. In the pop-up window, click the “Choose File” button and find the Yahoo CSV file that we downloaded before in the step 4. Then click on “Import”.

7. And now finally, you can see all your contacts there in Gmail, which means they will also be available in the Google+ Circles panel.
So now go to your Google plus page, go to Circles and click on “Find People”. There you will see all of your Facebook friends ready to be added to your Google plus circles.
Now just add them to corresponding circles of your liking and enjoy your Google+ experience.

If you don’t have Google+ account and would like to create one, but you need an Invite, then just ask for it in the comments, and I will send you one.
Enjoy!

Removing duplicate files from your PC will boost your system performance and speed it up immensely. Whether it be photos, mp3 files, text documents… Removing those files will enable you to have more disk space, reduce antivirus scan time, reduce the time it takes to defragment your hard drive and help you easily organize your files.

DuplicateFinder is a freeware program that will detect all the cloned files that you might have on your computer.

DuplicateFinder uses optimized detection algorithms and file filters so the scanning time is greatly minimized. The detected files can be removed in no time with the help of the automatic file selector and the predefined set of actions (copying, moving or deleting).

I must say it was pretty fast and efficient. Now I have additional 39 Gigabytes of space available when I cleaned up the unnecessary files in just 3 minutes. Of course, if you don’t want to delete them right away, you can always group them into a folder using “Move” option, and there you can see whether you want to keep some of them.

It works on Windows NT 4.0, 2K, XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

You can download Duplicate Finder here. (scroll down the page for download links)

Microsoft launched a new website demo for Windows 7, where you can test drive many features of the new version of Windows, without need to install it.

Everything is going to work inside a web browser, with a couple of clicks. That’s the only purpose of the website.

If, for some reason, you don’t want to test it online, you can also download or watch videos that demonstrate the new features of Windows 7.

But before you go to the site, you first need to meet the minimum requirements to be able to see it properly.

Minimum requirements for Windows 7 online demo

Microsoft Windows:
Only Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are supported.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later:
Only Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later are supported. I would never recommend you to use Internet Explorer but for this occasion, there is no other way.
If you do not have IE 6 or later, you can download it here

Screen Resolution:
The Virtual Demo sessions are best viewed at a screen resolution of 1024×768 or greater. Otherwise you may experience clipping of content.

US English Keyboard:
These online Virtual Demo sessions are in US English and only support US English Language Keyboards.

Cookies Enabled:
You must have cookies enabled to run these Virtual Demo sessions.
To enable cookies, follow these steps:

• Select “Internet Options” from the Tools menu.
• Click on the “Security” tab.
• Click “Custom Level” button.
• Scroll down to the “Cookies” section.

To enable:

• Set “Allow cookies that are stored on your computer” to “Enable”.
• Set “Allow per-session cookies” to “Enable”.
• Click “OK” to save changes.

ActiveX Control:
The Microsoft “Virtual Machine Remote Control” Active X control is required by this site. If you do not have it installed, you will be asked to when launching the Virtual Demo. There are instuctions relating to this located during the install.

Just a few more notes

If you meet all of the above requirements, then you’re good to go. However…

Once you have passed the requirements, you may have need to wait a few moments while you experience the Windows “start up” since it loads a full-functioning version of Windows 7 Professional, so you can take a look and try all of the new features, without having to install the full version on your own computer.

From there on, you can follow the instructions on the website itself, because I found it to be very user friendly.

Now go ahead and visit Windows 7 Online Demo Website, and don’t forget to share your thoughts here in the comments.