Firefox 3.0 Has Been Released
For those that don't know, Firefox is the alternative browser (the software used to view internet sites) to Microsoft’s IE (Internet Explorer). Most people sadly use IE because it comes pre-installed with the Windows operating system.
However, Firefox is so much better and in the last week Firefox 3.0 has just been released. It's smaller, faster and more secure than its predecessor so if you do online banking or are worried about the threats on the net it's a must have.
Quick Firefox Trick - Open Tabs More Efficiently
For people that use 'Tabs' they've almost certainly revolutionised their time online. A Tab is a feature where you can have many different websites or pages open at the same time, stacked behind each other.
In the past if I wanted to open a new page in a Tab using Firefox I’d right click on the link, this would bring up a small window and I’d choose ‘open link in new tab’. That takes 2 clicks and some movement of the mouse.
But now all I do is -
- Move the mouse over the link
- Hold down the Ctrl button and click the left button
- The page will now open in a new Tab
Saving one click and some mouse movement isn't much but if you look at 100+ web pages a day it cuts down a lot of hassle. People interested in time-and-motion should also like this trick.
I'm Really Liking Google Finance
Last month I suggested using Google Finance to check on stock prices, look at charts and do simple research. This in contrast to using sites like ADVFN where it seems to take 10 clicks to do anything.
This is just a reminder for those that missed it because over the past several weeks Google Finance is now the only financial site I look at. It's so simple to use, allows one to easily to find ticker codes for shares (just type in the name of the company and it will start suggesting) but above all I find that almost every bit of relevant information is laid out on the one simple page.
If you're not using Google Finance then try it out, I guarantee that most if not all readers will be impressed.
More Holiday Money & Organisational Tips
Thanks to reader CM for the following holiday tips. They're all to do with being organised, making sure you have access if you need it to important documents when away from home.
- Scan all your important documents (Passport, driving Licence, Insurance documents, Credit card/bank phone numbers etc) into your computer
- Open a free e-mail account (if you haven't already got one) such as Hotmail or Yahoo Mail
- E-mail the scanned files to your free e-mail account
- Then if you need them when abroad you can login into the account, download and print out if necessary
Also, think about the potential problem if you lose your mobile phone. Apparently modern-day mobiles enable you to export your numbers to a computer file. Upload this to your free email account as well.
Or if that is too complicated just make a small list of the numbers you might need should you lose your phone.
