Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on November 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

Web Browser Wednesday

Having toolbars in a browser can be both frustrating and convenient. On one hand they can often cram a lot of useful functionality into a small area, but on the other hand they eat up precious space that could be used for viewing websites. After all, we know what your browser can look like when you’ve installed a few too many toolbars.

I’ve managed to find a happy medium by automatically hiding the toolbars so that they only appear when my mouse hovers over any other toolbar (ex. the navigation/address bar), and that’s what we’re going to show you today. First we’ll go ahead and demonstrate how to do this with just the bookmarks toolbar, and then we’ll walk you through the steps needed to apply this to just about any Firefox toolbar such as the Google Toolbar.

–Auto-hide a Toolbar–

1. Make sure you have the Stylish extension installed in Firefox.
2. In the bottom-right corner of the Firefox window you should see the Stylish icon sitting in the Status Bar. Click on the icon, and go to Write Style > Blank Style.
   
3. Provide a description for the toolbar that you’re about to auto-hide, such as “Auto-hide the bookmarks toolbar”. In the code box copy and paste the following:

   #PersonalToolbar{display:none;}
#navigator-toolbox:hover > #PersonalToolbar{display:-moz-box;}

   The “PersonalToolbar” ID refers to the bookmarks toolbar, and when all is said and done your Stylish window should look something like this:
   

4. As soon as you hit Save the changes should take effect immediately. The bookmarks toolbar will be out-of-sight, but it will reappear when you hover over another toolbar (like the address/navigation bar).

–Find the ID of a Toolbar–

Now what about the toolbars who’s ID you don’t know? That’s a little trickier, but it won’t take you long to catch on. The toolbar we’re going to use in this half of the demonstration is the Google Toolbar, and we’ll show you step-by-step how you can find its ID so that you can auto-hide it.

1. If you’re using Firefox 3 you’ll need to go and download the DOM Inspector since it’s no longer included with the browser. It is bundled with versions of Firefox prior to version 3.
2. Once it’s downloaded and installed you need to start it by going to Tools > DOM Inspector. This tool will give us the ability to get the ID of any element in the browser, including toolbars.
3. Go to File > Inspect Chrome Document, and choose the first item in the list (it may say something different than what my screenshot does).
   
4. Now in the DOM Inspector click on the icon in the toolbar that has a mouse cursor pointing to a rounded box. Then switch over to the Firefox window and click on an item on the toolbar you want to auto-hide. You should see a red box appear around it as you’re clicking.
   
5. Now if you switch back to the DOM Inspector it will have highlighted the item that you clicked on. We’re looking for the ID of the toolbar itself, and not the item that you clicked on which was likely a button on the toolbar. If you look a little above the item that you clicked on you should see the ID of the toolbar:
   
6. Now we just need to plug that ID into the Stylish script that we provided above. So auto-hiding the Google Toolbar would look something like this:

   #gtbToolbar{display:none;}
#navigator-toolbox:hover > #gtbToolbar{display:-moz-box;}

That’s all there is to it. It may take a little while for you to get the hang of using the DOM Inspector, but it will be worth it.

–Overview–

Now the power is in your hands to auto-hide as many toolbars as you want. This trick will also work for hiding multiple toolbars simultaneously, and they will all appear at the same time when you hover over the navigation bar.

Also, feel free to leave the ID’s of any toolbars you find in the comments below so that you might save other people a little bit of trouble.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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This article was written on June 24, 2006 by CyberNet.

Weekend Warrior

Nowadays many people aren’t traveling solo anymore; they are bringing along their laptops- both those traveling for business and those traveling for pleasure. We simply like to stay connected and do so with the help of our portable computers. This is made easy with wireless connections that are popping up everywhere from airports to hotels. For those that travel frequently, this probably won’t help you quite as much as someone who is new to traveling with their laptop. It can be a bit more complicated, especially if you haven’t done it before!

To begin, lets talk about your experience at the airport. First and foremost, your laptop belongs in with your carry-on baggage. It is wise and highly recommended not to check your computer. Have you seen the bags being thrown around while getting loaded on and off the plane? Imagine what your laptop would look like after being thrown around a few times! When going through security, most if not all airports will require you to take the laptop out of the bag and out of a case if you have one. Keep an eye on your laptop and wait to put it on the belt until you are ready to walk through the metal detector. You wouldn’t want somebody at the other end to snatch it and run with it! Once you get on the plane, it’s a good idea to store it under your seat versus in the overhead compartment (this of course makes it easier to get out during flight to work or watch movies!). Here are a few additional tips for your flight:

• Carry an extra battery or two: It’s not a bad idea, especially for long flights.
• If your battery dies and you’re desperate, head for the lavatory where you will probably find an outlet.

Next, when traveling to international locations, you will be faced with new complications. There are 9 different power plugs that are used around the world. Additionally there are 39 different telephone jacks in use. This can certainly make plugging in and connecting to the internet more of a challenge than expected. To solve these problems, there are electrical plug adapter and telephone jack kits readily available. One site I found that sells a whole kit for power plugs can be found here.

Finally, this may seem obvious but not everyone thinks of it. Carry your laptop in a padded bag! This is something good to do no matter where your laptop is going, but especially when you are traveling by air! A little extra padding can go a long way!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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This article was written on June 23, 2008 by CyberNet.

Microsoft/Mac Monday

With all of the frenzy surrounding Apple’s iPod, Microsoft’s Zune seems to have been forgotten about even though it’s a quality product. While a majority of people out there have at least heard of the iPod, there are probably still many who don’t really know the Zune exists. And those that have heard of it may not be aware of some of the great features that it offers. Today we’ll be taking a look at the Zune and what it is, but we’ll also be taking a look at Zune Social, Zune Pass, and Zune Marketplace.

We would like to mention before we get started that we haven’t been able to physically use a Zune ourselves, so this won’t be a review, rather it will simply be facts about everything Zune. If you own a Zune, feel free to leave your personal opinions about it…

About the Zune…

Microsoft first launched the Zune back in November of 2006. About a year after its launch, the second generation of Zune’s were announced to include what they call the Zune 4, the Zune 8, and the Zune 80. They retail for $129.99, $179.99, and $249.99 respectively.

There are a couple of really great features that the Zune offers which other media players, like the iPod don’t. Probably the biggest is the wireless syncing and share which is available to Zune users. Zune users are able to share files on their device with their friends who have Zunes. Additionally, they can sync their devices wirelessly with a Windows PC. Another feature which the Zune has the iPods don’t is an FM Tuner. Not everybody is about downloading all of their music, there are still some people who enjoy listening to the radio which is why it’s nice the Zune includes this feature.

Out of all of its features, there are only a few which people might have complaints with. First on the list is that the Zune offers 20 hours of battery time for music and 4 hours of video. It’s not that this is terrible, but other devices out there do offer better. Another minor complaint is that the software that you need is compatible only with PC’s running Windows. Unfortunately it’s not compatible with Mac computers. We’ve come across several other minor complaints that mainly had to do with the software, but overall, people are happy with it.

To get a better idea of how people feel about the device, I decided to go to Amazon to check out the most helpful favorable review, and the most helpful critical review. This is what I found:

The most helpful favorable review (part of it):

I’ve owned 5 different kinds of iPods, as well as the original Zune, and I must say, that this product is by far the best of the group. I spent the day trying to return my iPod Classic (80GB) so that I could get my hands on one of these—and I had to look just about everywhere in town to find one.

Is this better than the iPod Classic? Undoubtedly.

The most helpful critical review:

In a nutshell, the person who wrote this review felt the Hardware is improved but the software is lagging behind.

I got this new Zune 80GB. The player looks and feels very nice. The material looks very quality and futuristic.

The sound quality of the player is neither better nor worse than the first generation. It was generally good with the first player. But actually, they have removed the EQ option altogether in the second generation. So, you are left with the standard sound that comes with it. But, I found the sound quality very good, way better than other very popular mp3 players, which was the primary reason for me to go with Zune. Its screen is large and very clear. Picture and video quality are very good.

If there was one feature that it appears as though users love the most, it’s the Wi-Fi sharing which leads us to the social aspect of the device…

Zune Social

Microsoft appears to want Zune owners to get social with Zune Social. What it does is that it tracks the music that a user is playing. Everybody has a few favorite songs, and Zune Social will be able to tell you what they are. The main thing with the service is that you can explore and share music with people that you add as friends. The more friends you have that own a Zune, the more useful Zune Social will be to you.

When you first go to the site, you quickly get an idea of what they’re all about because they display the most played albums, the most played songs, and the most played artists.

Once Zune users sign-up, they’ll be able to see what their friends are listening to and then send them recommendations of songs they should get.

Zune Pass

One of the things I hear Zune owners raving the most about is Zune Pass because for a reasonable monthly price, you get unlimited music. The only restriction is that you can only copy the music on up to three computers, and three Zune devices, and those songs can’t be burned to a CD. All it costs is $14.99 per month.

Zune Marketplace

Think of the Zune Marketplace as Microsoft’s version of iTunes. It’s where you go to get your songs, albums, videos, podcasts, and TV shows. They break everything down into categories so it’s easy to find. They’ve got about three million songs available for download which pales in comparison to the more than 6 million songs iTunes offers.

Wrapping it up…

Before jumping on the iPod bandwagon, you may want to consider your other options out there including Microsoft’s Zune. Without trying it for ourselves, we can’t tell you from personal experience what it’s like to use one, but from reading about the features and even reading personal reviews from other users, it’s a great device worth considering.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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This article was written on April 26, 2008 by CyberNet.

Weekend Website

Many people around the World are dependent on cars to get to work so that they’re able to make a living and provide for themselves and their families. Because of this, purchasing a car is one of the most important investments that they’ll make. The process of deciding which cars are of interest and then actually purchasing the car can be a complicated one, but thankfully there are several great websites out there that make it just a bit easier. Today we’re taking a look at four different sites that are great resources if you’re purchasing a car whether it’s a new or used one you’re after. They are:

• AutoTrader
• Cars.com
• Car and Driver
• Motor Trend

AutoTrader (link)

One of the features we like best about AutoTrader.com is their new Research & Compare tool. It’ll help you find the right car for you through the use of reviews, videos, and 360″ views of the vehicles.

To get started using the research and comparison tool, you’ll start browsing by a specific model, manufacture, price range, or a specific model if you know what you’re already looking for.

I decided to search by price range, and so I clicked on the $15,000-$25,000 range. From there it pulled up a list of vehicles that matched my preferences. I could further modify my preference by selecting a year range, a body type, different makes and models, and fuel mileage. Anytime I changed my preferences, new results would be displayed and then I could click on any of the vehicles to get more information.

They include all kinds of information that will help you determine if the car is right for you. From the vehicle page I was able to read the following:

• expert reviews
• consumer ratings and reviews
• safety and recall information
• pricing and incentives
• view photos and 360 spins
• features
• capacity and specs
• warranties
• colors it’s available in

I could also compare the car to any model, similar models, or previous models of the car. If I decided I wanted the car, there was the option to enter in my zip code to find the vehicle in my area.

Cars.com (link)

At Cars.com, one of their nicest features is the “Shopping Advice” section. Here you’ll find all kinds of advice on the following topics:

• Buying
• Fuel Economy
• Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles
• Leasing
• Lifestyle
• Incentives
• Financing
• Gadgets for the Car
• Selling
• and more…

If you were looking for advice on leasing a vehicle, Cars.com provides a quick quiz to test your knowledge of leasing, and then they provide information on whether or not it’s a wise choice. There’s a whole section of information that covered topics like leasing benefits, guidelines, and sample pricing scenarios. There’s also a Loan vs. Lease calculator which is particularly nice because it flat out tells you what your monthly payment would be (roughly) for buying and leasing so that you can compare them and then determine which route you should take.

Car and Driver (link)

Car and Driver’s New Car Buying Guide is probably one of the site’s nicest features, particularly their option to browse by market segment. Here are some of the market segments you can choose from:

• best-sellers
• budget safety picks
• crossover-big
• crossover- compact
• crossover- mid-size
• most researched
• performance variant
• quickest cars
• and more…

I chose to search for the quickest cars and then it broke it down into different price ranges like $18,000 and under, under $25,000, and under $33,000. If I wanted to, I could further narrow my search by viewing particular body styles.

Another section of the site you’ll definitely want to checkout for anything car related is their Forums. They’ve got a very active forum where you can go to offer advice or seek advice if you needed.

Motor Trend (link)

If I had to pick one feature about Motor Trend that I liked, it would be their dedicated section for used cars. Not everybody is out to buy a brand new car, so the section dedicated to used vehicles is nice. When you click “Used Cars” in the menu at the top of the page, you’ll be able to choose from the following options:

• photos
• pricing
• safety
• recalls
• specs
• classifieds

If you were wondering what the specs were for a 2002 Ford F-150, you could search for the specific brand of car (Ford) and then for the specific model. Once you clicked the model of the vehicle you were looking for, it would list out all of the different years which you could click on to learn more about the vehicle’s performance, handling, cargo space, what the interior is like, and more.

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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This article was written on December 27, 2007 by CyberNet.

Tutorial Thursday

Most keyboards these days have 100+ keys, and there are so many keys that it can be difficult to get them to work exactly the way you want them to. As with most other things on a computer, if there is something that you don’t like about the keyboard you should just change it!

To manipulate the keys on the keyboard we’re going to resurrect an application that we’ve previously written about. It’s called KeyTweak, and it’s a freeware program that has a simple interface for customizing the action of the keys on your keyboard. An example of where this would be useful is for turning one of your spare Control or Alt keys into a Windows Key on a computer that doesn’t have a Windows Key. Or maybe you want to disable the Insert and/or Caps Lock key since you never use it…with KeyTweak that is possible.

 
(Click to Enlarge)

KeyTweak is a pretty straightforward application, and working with it couldn’t be any easier. Here’s how you can remap keyboard keys in a few simple steps:

1. Download and install KeyTweak. Then run it.
2. On the screen you will see a fullsize computer keyboard (pictured above). What you’ll want to do now is click on the key you want to change or disable. We want to disable the Caps Lock key in our example, so we clicked on key number 30. KeyTweak will show the key that you’ve selected, and what command is currently assigned to it:
   
3. If you want to assign the key a new action just choose from one of the dozens of keyboard remapping options in the drop-down menu. Once you have found the option that you want click the Remap Key button to save that configuration. Alternatively you can completely disable that key by clicking the Disable Key button, or you can reset it back to the default action by choosing Restore Default.
4. The action you chose to take in Step 3 will be added to the list of pending changes located in the bottom-right corner. Once you’ve made all of the keyboard changes that you want click the Apply button.
   
5. In order for the changes to take effect you’ll need to restart your computer, and after that you can enjoy your newly remapped keyboard!

This is a really powerful program that I’ve been using for years, and it has never failed me. I’ve used it the most to disable keys that I frequently find annoying, such as Insert or Caps Lock. Even if you don’t plan on using this app right now make sure you stick it in your bookmarks, because I can assure you that sometime down the road the idea of disabling or remapping a keyboard key will pop into your head!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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