Addons

Live Interior 3D Pro is a full-featured interior-design application designed to help you plan and visualize redecorating and remodeling projects, in both 2D and 3D. The most impressive improvement in version 2 (which also splits the application into Standard and Pro versions) is the ability to edit 3D objects directly in Live Interior 3D using Google SketchUp. You can even export entire projects to Google SketchUp format, with import and export support for Google SketchUp 7.

The 3D models that you can create--both as QuickTime movies and QTVR virtual-reality "walkthroughs"--have gotten better, too, with improved lighting and … Read more

Arc Soft Video Downloader helps users download movies directly to their computer, but there's a second step (and another program) if you want to watch your videos.

This freeware program is incredibly simple to use. Opening the program leads to a small rectangular screen with simple instructions for downloading a video. Little action is required on the part of the user. As soon as a video is viewed online, an ArcSoft icon appears with the ability to download the movie. Simply clicking on this icon initiates the process, and you can see the files for download on the program'… Read more

Firefox has surpassed 22 percent global market share, its popularity driven in large part by the thousands of extensions and add-ons that personalize the Firefox experience for diverse users.

Intriguingly, however, Firefox's extensions strategy didn't start out as a strategy at all. It was a compromise to keep the project's developer base together, as Mozilla's Asa Dotzler explains in this interview I conducted with colleague John Newton earlier this week.

The History of Firefox Extensions - An Interview with Asa Dotzler from Matt Asay on Vimeo.

Web of Trust (WOT) for Internet Explorer provides users with a simple meter for gauging a Web site's danger level. With easy to read warnings, this program only leaves one thing to chance with your safety.

The program does not have anything to offer on your computer's desktop because it embeds itself into your Internet Explorer browser for quick access. Depending on the Web site you visit, the program's icon turns red, yellow, or green to illustrate the danger level. Clicking on the icon displays a chart showcasing Trustworthiness, Vendor Reliability, Privacy, and Child Safety. The warnings … Read more

Facebook's built-in chat service is convenient, but where it lacks when compared to software-based chat tools is in letting users log past conversations. Facebook intentionally does not save full conversations, however it does keep a few lines from the last time you chatted with someone so you can pick up where you left off.

If you're looking for more though, there's a new Firefox add-on called Facebook Chat History Manager that saves all of your conversations locally. As long as you're using the browser with it installed, it saves everything and puts it into a log … Read more

Despite its 22.51 percent global market share, Mozilla's Firefox browser has yet to crack the enterprise IT barrier. While Firefox is undoubtedly used widely in the enterprise, Internet Explorer is still the default choice for enterprise IT, in part because Mozilla has never made any particular market, including enterprise IT, a focus.

No more. Perhaps responding to criticism that Firefox lacked the tools to help enterprise IT departments manage its deployment, Mozilla is now rolling out a Build Your Own Browser program. The program aims to provide "a good fit for enterprises that want to create a … Read more

I'll save us both some time by getting right to the descriptions of three Firefox add-ons that shave minutes off my workday. Hey, they add up!

Navigate Web pages using only your keyboard. When it comes to speed, I'll take a keyboard over a mouse any day of the week. A post from April 2008 explains how to create a keyboard-shortcut list you can access quickly. I also wrote about using your keyboard to move and resize windows and shortcuts for Word and Excel.

Now I can park the mouse when I surf. Instead of clicking, I enter … Read more

Firefox tabs make surfing the Web much easier. But managing them isn't so simple. That's why I've found 12 Firefox extensions to help you do just that.

Duplicate Tab The Duplicate Tab extension lets you copy a tab's history and open that same tab in your browser. You can also merge windows, which combines tabs from multiple instances of Firefox into a single window.

Firefox Showcase Firefox Showcase enables you to view your tabs as thumbnails in a new window, in the sidebar, or in a new tab. If you view them in a separate window or tab, the extension lets you view what's on the site without displaying it in full size. If you have a bunch of tabs open, the tool even lets you filter them to find the desired tab sooner. It works quite well.

FoxTab FoxTab is the coolest Firefox extension in this roundup. Similar to Apple's CoverFlow, FoxTab displays tabs in 3D. You can flip through them, view them in a grid, or sift through them one by one. When you click on a tab, it's brought to the front.

LastTab Firefox allows you to scroll through tabs from left to right with the control and tab keys. But with the help of LastTab, that key combination will switch its operation to move to the most recently accessed tab. LastTab provides a simple change, but it's extremely handy when you want to reference content on just a few of your many open tabs.… Read more

Although plain in design, this handy tool lets you easily store and view your favorite Web sites offline. Instead of supplying a built-in browser, your stored pages can be quickly viewed in your designated browser.

This freeware program's bland interface is all business. A simple Wizard that leads you through the process of copying Web sites is a welcome touch. Users need only enter a project name, insert the URLs to be copied, and adjust settings as desired, including choosing how many layers of a page the program will pick up. HTTrack Website Copier goes to work very quickly … Read more