Flock – is this browser ready for the big times?
Flock is a
fairly new entrant in the ‘browser wars’. As such the first question that any
critic would ask is what new value can Flock introduce that would persuade
someone to switch browsers? The discussion that follows will highlight some of
the points that the creators of Flock would probably raise if they were to
answer the above question.
In order to
organize my thoughts my review of the browser was categorized under six
headings. The issue of privacy & security will not be discussed as this is
a major issue which needs further research before drawing any conclusions.
One of the
major objectives of Flock is to make it easy for people to ‘easily access and
share videos, photos and comments across social communities, media providers,
and popular websites’. Flock has a lot to offer even t if you are a social
network sceptic.
Flock is
developed based on Firefox. It is not surprising therefore that the Firefox
add-ons and extensions work with Flock.
The six headings
or categories are as follows;
- Basic features
- Extensions/Add-ons
- Customizing
- Flickr and Photobucket
- Blog
- Interface/user experience
BASIC
FEATURES
Tab
browsing is available just like IE7. You need a Firefox Add-on to display the
tabs as thumbnails or ‘showcase’ the tabs as it is know in Firefox. All Favorites
can be imported from Internet Explorer. Flock also supports two Favorites
sharing services; del.icio.us and Shadows. You will need an account before
you can update your favorites online using Flock’s Star feature. Once you have
an account, you can set it up in Flock using the Account and Services menu
under ‘Tools’.
EXTENSIONS/ADD-ONS
Add-ons and
Extensions are available to improve the functionality of the browser. These are
available both from the Flock website and from the Firefox website. Some
Firefox add-ons may have to be converted by Flock’d before being installed in
Flock. My personal favourites are listed as follows:
- Gmail Manager – for Gmail accounts management and mail notifications.
- Flock’d
– used to convert a Firefox extension into a Flock extension through the
Flock’d website. This extension ensures that the full arsenal of Firefox
extensions is available to Flock users. - BetterSearch – This extension enhances the search results of Google, A9, MSN,
Yahoo, Answers.com and many other search engines. It does this by adding
thumbnail previews, Amazon product info and special links to the results. - Answers
– Alt+Click on any word or term for quick information. This is a very
useful extension. - Get Company Info – You can get company information on any webpage that has the
company name or ticker. All you have to do is right-click the name or
ticker and select company info from the context menu. This ideal for
researchers, financial analysis or any who needs additional information
about listed companies.
– This add-on allows the user to split the browser window vertically,
horizontally as you like.- Cooliris Previews – A Simple and powerful way of navigating through search results or
links on WebPages. It allows the user to see preview of the Webpage
without leaving the current page. - Firefox Showcase – This extension allows the user to easily locate any tab that has
been opened. This feature is also available in IE7. - Foxy Tunes – This extension allows the user to control any media player from the
browser window. It is useful as the control buttons are added to the
browser and you do not have to navigate away from a Webpage to start,
stop, fast forward etc. the music player.
CUSTOMIZING
–SERVICES AND EXTENSIONS
Customizing
the toolbar is very easy as it has ‘drag and drop’ functionality. Adding new
Toolbars are extremely easy. Further customizing can be done under the Account
and Services found under ‘Tools’.
FLICKR AND
PHOTOBUCKET
You can
setup and upload photos into Flickr straight from the browser’s Photo Toolbar.
It also works with Photobucket and similar services.
BLOG
After
setting up your Blog in the browser, you can write and publish a Blog straight
from the browser window. Also, you can Blog any story by simply ‘right
clicking’ on the story and select ‘Blog this’ from the context menu.
INTERFACE/USER
EXPERIENCE
The fastest
way to navigate the Internet with Flock is to use the Favorites Manager. The interface is reminiscent of Internet
Explorer 7 as is has a sidebar on the left of the page showing the Collections
or Folders with the links exploding to the right of the selected Collection. A
really ‘cool’ feature of the Favorites Manager is that you can search for the
link using the search bar at the bottom of the screen. You can search for the
full name, a part of the name or tags to find the link. The results of the
search are displayed as you type. Now because it is the Favorites Manager, you
can double the link to go to the Webpage or you can right the link to execute
commands such as open the page, open new window or open a new tab. This menu
also allows you to copy or delete the link. The Favorites can also be accessed
from a ‘drop down’ menu at the top of the screen.
This is a
general introduction to what I think is an exciting browser. You should give it
a try.
Why ‘Mobile alerts for new messages’ will not work for me!
Hotmail and Yahoo offer a service that involves registering a mobile phone
with them and receiving alerts via the mobile when new mail arrives. This is an
excellent service, but it is not for me.
The reason why I cannot use this service is ‘SPAM’. I refuse to pay for
alerts from spammers as this is a waste of money. Despite the commendable
efforts made by both companies to reduce spam mail, too much spam is still
getting through to my Inbox. The filters used by both companies are very
effective as I am now using the option to delete the spam mail upon
arrival without reviewing them. Both companies’ needs to do more however, as a
few pieces of spam are still getting through.
Do you use mobile alerts? Is spam filters working for you?
Blogging Amazon
Amazon.com Entertainment: Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher
Amazon’s Fishbowl with Bill Maher is a successful convergence of four
different icons to market several products. It shows that businesses in the
21st century realize that in order to survive they have to be creative,
they have to form strategic partnerships (which need not be permanent)
and they need to have an Internet presence as the Internet has become
the fastest growing market place.
At first glance you may say that there is no way that
Bill Maher, one of the best comedian, Amazon, originally known for selling
books but now offers much more, UPS a huge international logistics company and
Cingular a massive telecom company could all come together in a major project
to market their products. Together they have produced 12 episodes of Amazon’s
Fishbowl with Bill Maher. This is a series of interviews with well know stars
from literature, film, TV and music. It also features live performances from a
number of bands and of course advertisement from UPS and Cingular.
I thoroughly enjoyed the programs and now that the project is over, four
things still stand out in my mind, Bill Maher, UPS, Amazon and Cingular. I am a
‘customer’ of all except Cingular that has not yet extended it reach to my part
of the world.
I think that this was a good effort. You should watch all 12 episodes while
they are still available from the Website and let me know what you think.
What’s in a name -part2
Cisco to sue Apple over iPhone trademark – Financial Times – MSNBC.com
In an earlier Blog post, I had suggested that if Apple (now Apple Inc.)
decided to use the name iTV for its set top box that streams video and other
content through a person’s TV, they would have a legal battle about the name
when the product comes to Europe. As it turns
out there will be no battle for the name as Apple has chosen to use the name
‘Apple TV’ for its set top box. The management at iTV, the UK’s biggest
television network, can breathe a sigh of relief at least for now.
Not so for Cisco Systems however as Steve Jobs announced
the coming of the iPhone at Macworld this week. This follows an apparent
breakdown in negotiations between both companies about the use of the name. The
‘gloves’ are out and the battle has begun to see who will ultimately be entitled
to use the name. You can follow up the story at http://www.macworld.com and
http://www.cisco.com.
What do you think?
Before you condemn Stitchie
Jamaica Gleaner News – Stitchie incurs wrath at Montego Bay Genesis – Wednesday | January 3, 2007
Before
you condemn ‘Stitchie’, consider the following;
- He has the right to try and
protect the income from his God given ability. How he uses that income is
answerable only to God. ‘1Co:9:7: Who goeth a warfare any time at his own
charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or
who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
1Co:9:8:
Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? 1Co:9:9: For
it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox
that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?’
- Being a Christian does not mean
that one should be less professional in their approach to the work of God.
Mediocrity is not acceptable in the secular world neither should it be accepted
when dealing with the things of God. If there was a contract, the terms
should be observed. - If it is true that various artiste
were told that there would be a video from which they would not get any
returns, that could be construed as a way of forcing these individual to
contribute to the cause of the organizers. Some may have agreed as to say
no may have appeared ‘not Christian like’. That may be against the concept
of Christian giving. - Christians are people also. The
people of the world know that Christians have differences as others do.
The reaction to these differences however will determine how the action is
perceived. Walking out may not have been the right or Christian thing to
do. - We need to show a little more
tolerance. - If it is true as Stitchie
claims that gospel performers are being ‘competitive’ in a similar way
that other performers in the ‘secular’ world are competitive, then we
should stop and consider the allegations seriously. - Under normal circumstances,
Stitichie can still be regarded as a ‘babe in Christ’ even although he is
a professional performer. He may need council rather than being shunned.
At the point that the differences became apparent, shouldn’t mature
Christians pray for Stitchie rather than walk out in disagreement? - Raising difficult questions
among a predominantly Christian gathering is not necessarily ‘washing your
dirty linen in public’. Preachers of the gospel do it all the time and in
a passionate way. It will often bring offence to some. I can assure you
that the organizers will be very careful the next time that they draft a
contract for Gospel performers.
