FIREFOX
Could you imagine trying to readWeb
Userwithout Bit.ly links? Having to type
every ‘https’, string of letters and
forward-slash would make visiting the
featured websites infuriating.
Link Shortener (bit.ly/short479) gives
web users a savvy way to copy and
share links. When you first use the
extension, it’s a goodidea to head into
the settings, where you can set a default
shortener and add optional extras.
Now you no longer need to interrupt
your browsing to access your usual link-shortening service. When you’re on a
page you wish to ‘shorten’, click the extension and select your preferred service,
whether it’s TinyURL, Cutt.ly or, our favourite, Bit.ly. Link Shortener generates a
link (which unfortunately you can’t edit), and provides a copy button and QR
code generator. This makes the process of sharing links a lot easier, and you’ll
never have to mess around with ungainly URLs again.
Best New Browser Tools
Tell usyourfavouriteadd-onsatwww.facebook.com/webusermagazine 10 - 23 July 2019 33
Shorten the URL of any page
AddOpera’s SpeedDial to
Firefox
If you’ve ever thought “I like Firefox, but
I wish it looked a bit more like Opera”,
then we’ve got the perfect extension for
you. Yet Another Speed Dial (bit.ly/
dial479) mimics Opera’s classic speed
dial set-up in a new Firefox tab.
Opera’s slick speed dial feature lets
you jump quickly to your top sites. It’s
one of many understated features in
the browser, and we’re excited to see
that some enterprising developer has
ported it across to Firefox.
That’s not the only reason to install
Yet Another Speed Dial, though.
According to the developer, this
extension won’t track your browsing
activities and it syncs with your
existing bookmarks.
You can even customise the speed
dial tab to make Firefox look and feel
even more like Opera.
Block adson
abusive sites
Ad blockers remain an
essential part of the modern
browsing experience, despite
Google’s recent efforts (see our
cover feature on page 40). Now
Vivaldi has introduced its own
ad-blocking feature (although
it’s not a full ad blocker) for
‘abusive sites’. You’ll find the
option under Settings, Privacy- it’s switched on by default.
Google defines an abusive site
as one that features misleading
links and adverts, auto redirects,
browser history manipulation,
fake messages, or unwanted
software installation (bit.ly/
abuse479). Vivaldi’s new tool
uses Google’s own list of
abusive sites to block ads on
these pages.
Seemore with
ReadingView
Reading View has long
been a popular feature in
Microsoft Edge, so we’re
delighted that it’s making a
comeback in the new Edge
Chromium browser. Get rid of
the glare and clutter by clicking
the book icon in the address bar.
This gives your page a more
book-like appearance, dimming
the light and moderating the
white of the page, while clearing
away unwanted elements such
as adverts. Look out for
‘Grammar tools’, too: with one
click, you can get help with
pronunciation or use the ‘Parts
of speech’ option to colour-code
nouns, verbs and adjectives.OTHER BROWSERS
This fortnight’s most usefultips and add-onsto help you get the
most from Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi and more
Convert currencies while
shoppingonline
Trying to buy goodsfrom overseas
websites is confusing enough without
having to search for the exchange rate
before deciding whether or not to
buy. That’s where the Universal
Automatic Currency Converter
(bit.ly/convert479) comes in.
This extension addresses several of
our biggest shopping bugbears. Once
you’ve set it up to display your home
currency, simply visit an online shop in
another country, and the currency
conversion happens right before your
eyes. It even includes shipping costs,
and you can get rid of all those
annoying prices ending with 99p by
opting to round them up (or down).
Clicking the extension on any
page opens a mini-converter that
you can use for on-the-fly
conversions. With support for 170
currencies, Universal Automatic
Currency Converter makes online
shopping more bearable.