Thanks to third party developers, web browsers have become a lot more versatile and efficient in their use. While there are a wide number of plugins across the web to download for your respective browser (many of which are free) For this list we’ve excluded both GreaseMonkey and Creammonkey for Safari which, while very useful in adding and changing properties of pages, may be daunting to those unfamiliar with the process. These plugins featured can be added on immediately and without fuss and below are 17 handy plugins for the major browsers, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera (but not IE as we all know their user’s IQ is much lower than everyone else as proven in a completely legitimate and not at all fake study). Many of the plugins overlap and will be mentioned below them. If you want to download any of the plugins listed here, just click on their title.
1. Mozilla Firefox
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/integrated-gmail/ Integrated Gmail If you’re a regular user of Gmail, this handy plug in allows you to combine your normal Gmail page with Google Reader and Calender so that you can access them all on the one page.
If you want to manage multiple Gmail accounts in the same browser, you can download.
This plugin allows you to download all the links or images contained in a webpage. When downloading you can pause and resume downloads and download speeds are increased by 400 per cent when in use.
2. Awesome Screenshot – Capture and Annotate
Instead of having to hit the ‘Prt Scr’ (if you’re a windows user)and edit it somewhere else, you can capture the whole browser page or any portion of it and edit it. Insert shapes, lines, text, blur out specific information and the upload it with just one click.
3. FoxySpider
Gives you the opportunity to search a site and pick out the files you really want such as video clips, images, links, music files etc. It then presents them in a thumbnail gallery for you to pick them out. Allows you to execute various commands and user scripts with five types of gestures, mouse gestures, wheel gestures, rocker gestures, keypress gestures and Tab Wheel gestures.
4. Google Chrome
Allows you a much easier way of sharing links to Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, StumbleUpon, Bitly and Linkedin among many others. This plugin is also available for Firefox, Safari and Opera.
5. RandomMagic
Random Magic is the plugin for those wanting to leave decisions down to chance. Comprising of four mini-applications, a coin-flipper, a dice roller, a random number generator and a random letter sequence generator, it helps you make those tough decisions much quicker or help you choose a password.
6. Speakit!
A simple text to speech program in case you get tired of reading and would rather rely on your hearing when browsing an article or page. A handy plugin which helps you backup and sync your bookmarks, passwords and open tabs across computers and web browsers. Xmarks also works on Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.
7. Feedly
For those bored of using Google reader, Feedly allows you to read articles in your Google Reader feed in a faster and more vibrant way, making articles easier on the eye.
8. Safari
For those who write for more than one blog, ScribeFire allows you to publish all your blogs posts from the one place.
If you want to edit or delete any recent entries, you can do so through the toolbar located on the right hand side. ScribeFire is also available for Chrome, Opera and Firefox (ScribeFire Next).
9. CoolIris
Similar to how FoxySpider works except this plugin allows you to view 3D images from websites or from your computer. The plugin also integrates images searches and the images are quickly transformed into 3D wall photos. This plugin is also available for both Firefox and Chrome browsers.
If you’re browsing a page and you happen to see a link you want to follow, just type in any word that’s contained within the link. The plugin will highlight it meaning all you have to do is press return to load it up. If it’s the wrong one, then press command + G to move to the next suitable link.
10. Opera
If you enter a website that force you to register first before you access it, then this plugin will give you some free login details (in most cases) to bypass this.
If you’re reading an article but don’t have time to finish it, then this pugin remembers it for you so that you can come back and read it sometime later. But speaking of articles.
Exactly what it says on the tin. Allows you to access google reader in a quicker and more streamlined format. If you enjoy listening to a song on Youtube but wish you could also listen to it while on the go, then you can rip the music from any video into MP3 format using this tool.
