As I wrote in my last Firefox Extension Article, Firefox is by far the most changeable and adaptable internet browser available today. This is why I decided to write a series on my favorite Firefox extensions. The extensions I am reviewing are general extensions that almost anyone could find useful. There are many other extensions I use that I also consider favorites but those extensions are geared towards SEO and Web Development. If I decide to take this series a bit further I may just review all of those extensions as well.
I did have a very hard time finding the second spot. It was even harder than finding the number one spot and to be fair, there were many other extensions that could have easily been in this spot. There are so many great extensions and they keep getting better and better. What is a developer to do? Pic Lens is a great extension no matter how you slice it. Whether it is number two or not is up to you.
My review and number 2 Firefox Extension is Pic Lens or you may know it as Cool Irus. This is a new and amazing way to view images on the internet. Say you are searching for images of “Jets”, click on the “Pic Lens” icon and type “Jets” into the search box. Pic which search engine you want to use and your images come up in a really cool display! It is hard for me to explain but believe me, it is way cool!
Check out the image!
PicLens Firefox Add on
As you can see from the image, PicLens just grabs the images without any text and it aligns them very neatly in 3D. If you want more information and a larger view of a specific image you just need to click on the image. The image will expand a couple steps larger, click again and it will get larger, click one more time and you will have a full screen view. You can also press a play button and have it scroll through the images like a slide show. It really is amazing and after spending a few minutes you forget you are browsing images on a search engine!
I am not sure how useful this add on really is but it is really so entertaining. I have never really been one to just view images on the internet before but I find myself thinking of image topics I can view with PicLens. You have the option of choosing from a limited amount of search engines. Right now PicLens works with Amazon, Google, YouTube, SmugMug, Flickr, Yahoo, DevienatART and Photobucket. This list is bound to increase with each updated version.
I have found some great image searches and please feel free to add some to this list.
- Grand Canyon
- Jets
- Fighter jets
- Hubble Telescope Images
- Space
I almost forgot to add that there are also some preset searches that are amazing! They have a fairly wide selection here including image selections from the Olympics, News, Sports, Science, Technology and many more. Below the images there is a article explaining what the image is etc. This is a great tool for kids reports etc. it is also a great way to get started.
In closing I just have to tell you that this extension is worth a look for sure. While my number pone choice, Speed Dial is very useful for regular Internet users, PicLens is just plain fun! I am sure it can be useful as well but either way I am willing to bet that if you try it, you will love it…
Please feel free to comment and post your views on PicLens or add to the list of Image Searches.
Useful Links
Cool Irus
Firefox Add Ons
PicLens Add On
Thanks so much for reading!
Stay Strong and Live Long!
WebDevoMan
