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If you're like me, a website with an inordinate number of ads on it turns me off to that site. While I can save the page to Pocket, Instapaper or any related service, sometimes I just want to read an article and be done with it without having to close an overlay add, wait for the browser to load a plethora of ads or hit the ad page to continue to the site. While I tend to visit sites that have few ads, I understand the monetary value ads bring to websites (having adsense ads on my pages/posts as well). That being said, one of the easiest ways to block ads has been to install the adblock extension in Firefox or Chrome. Today, the developer of the plugin has released their variant of the Firefox browser with Adblock built right in. The idea seems to be to have a smoother web browsing experience while blocking ads. Development of the plugin will not stop but for a seamless experience, the Adblock browser seems to be the way to go. At the moment the browser is in beta so bugs will be fixed, performance improved and the like. Otherwise most Firefox features are included like private browsing, clearing history on exit and setting search providers. The only thing missing at the moment is the ability to install add-ons but that may just be my experience.
To get started, join the Beta community below and download the apk. Unknown sources will need to be checked at the moment to install the app. This method is the "official" method at the moment while the developer waits for the app to be approved into the Google Play store.
Initial Setup
Connect to WiFi to have default profile
May download various updates
Tour system and UI
Performance
Internet speed limited only by network connection
Mouse sensitivity adjustments may need changing
Adjust display to fit viewability
Smooth performance even after installing apps
General Use
Easy transition if already using Chrome browser
Mouse supports swype gestures to switch between tabs
Some shortcuts may differ but all the same ones in other OS's available
When considering the purchase of a Chromebook, it is hard to believe that its setup and use can be as easy as they say but I would say it is about 99% accurate. The only thing difficult would be learning some keyboard combinations and maybe learning how to zoom in and out on websites.
To start with the initial setup, the step by step process guides the user through connection to a WiFi network the logging in with your existing Google account (or setting up a new one). A Chromebook can be used without a Google account but with limited functionality (i.e. no apps besides what is already on the device. Once the user is logged in, a quick tour is given of the UI and that is about it. If you have used a browser then perfect and if you've used Chrome, then even better.
Overall system performance is very responsive. Booting the device takes around 5-10 seconds (mine takes around 6, even after installing apps). Switching between tabs and navigating the UI is very smooth, even with several tabs open. If there is an update that requires a reboot, a little arrow shows up in the task drawer. The only setup the user may need to work on is the screen brightness and mouse sensitivity which I find to be a very personal touch. Getting used to the mouse takes a little bit of getting used to as it supports multi-touch and gestures so remembering to not leave my fingertip on the pad takes some time but is not unfeasible. The brightness setting, on the other hand, does not even require even going into settings as there are keys built into the keyboard. Speaker sound quality is about as much as can be expected from laptop speakers so plugging in external speakers is your best bet (or headphones for that matter) for better sound but the built-in speakers work well enough in quiet environments or for a quick listen (i.e. Google Voice voicemail).
As far as laptops go, getting a Chromebook is a good bet. It works well for e-mail, checking RSS feeds, watching videos, etc. The screen quality looks good on at the 13.3” size to make HD videos enjoyable to watch and battery life makes it easy to forget to charge, even while during regular usage. Finally, the price is easy on one’s budget, especially better when compared to other laptops with similar specs to do the same thing.
Do you like the idea of curated news but don't want to or don't have time to setup the feeds to do that. Want a digest of morning and evening news delivere automatically to your device. Then Yahoo News Digest is the app for you. After a brief tutorial and no sign-in required, the app will present the latest digest for your locality (currently United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and International).
The menu in the app provides two key settings. The first is the 'More Digests' setting. This allows the user to see when the next default digest will be available along with the ability to open past digests for the week. The second is in the settings area. Here, the user can set which digest locality to load when the app is launched along with toggling the ability to be notified when a new digest is available.
Reading articles is as simple as selecting the article to read. A share button is nicely located at top right of the screen to send via social networks, e-amil, SMS, etc. An interesting feature of the app is that it features an easy to read reference area at the end of the article that can be clicked on to load the source in the user's default browser.
At the end of each digest is a circle of the total number of articles in the digest. Once an article is read, the related article number is filled in to let the user know which article was read along with the total number of articles read in the digest. If the user wants more news, there is a read more news button at the end of the digest to get more articles.
The app does come with a 2x3 widget to easily get articles loaded on the homescreen. It looks very similar to the YouTube widget so it fits in very well as a semi-3D way to see new articles.
Do you find yourself losing lots of app space without reason? Want to clean up storage usage by your myriad of apps? Then CCleaner is the app for you!
CCleaner works much like its Windows counterpart but for your Android device. It scans your device's cache to find app cache that can be safely cleared. It also scans your browser history (space used vs. actual content), phone call logs and SMS logs to clear those out at the push of a button as well. Login info and other necessary app info is not cleared so it is along the lines of cleaning your browser history except applied to your device. App performance should improve along with marginal device performance improvements (may be a placebo effect but it depends on your device as well). The second ability that CCleaner provides is the ability to sort apps by storage used on the device and unsinstall any app. The final ability is the ability to view CPU & RAM usage, storage space used and battery level & temp.
If you are a user of Google Now for Android or want this feature on your desktop, it may be coming soon. To help test it out requires an early build of Google Chrome right now. Clicking on the card opens more information in your default browser.
