Bubbles single-site web browser updated, adds extensions

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Web services, Freeware, Beta

Bubbles single-site web browser updated, adds extensions

by Brad Linder May 28th 2008

Have a couple of web-based applications that you need quick and easy access to on a regular basis? You could set your browser homepage to Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Facebook, or Zoho Writer. Or you could use Bubbles to create a desktop shortcut that will open your web page almost instantly in a site-specific web browser. We first looked at Bubbles a few months ago, but this week the developers released a brand new beta version which is faster, and which adds support for extensions.

These extensions are scripts that let you change the way you interact with certain web content. You can find extensions at the Bubbles repository. When you click on an extension to run or install it, the extension will be added to your Bubbles menu. This provides a quick and easy way to create shortcuts to frequently used web applications like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Facebook. One user-generated script provides you with a window that keeps the Facebook Chat interface open even when you're not viewing the whole Facebook web site. Other extensions provide system tray notifications of social networking or email updates.

The beta is relatively new, and there aren't a ton of extensions to choose from. But Bubbles handles most web sites that you can access in Firefox or Internet Explorer fairly well. And while Bubbles will eat up a ton of RAM if you open 5 or 10 windows, it appears to use less RAM than Firefox when you're just visiting a single page.

Tags: bubbles, web-applications

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

harmx said 8:24PM on 5-28-2008

Isn't this a bit like Mozilla's Prism?

Arran said 8:30AM on 5-29-2008

yep looks the same dude, other than the user-generated script which seems to add a few extra benefits but nothing major... personally always stick to prism.

Rob said 8:06AM on 5-29-2008

I'm confused. Why not just make a regular old internet shortcut on the desktop?

Brian said 8:07AM on 5-29-2008

test

FireFacts said 8:07AM on 5-29-2008

I don't know...I still think that Firefox is still the safest way to browse through the Internet...

scotty said 8:10AM on 5-29-2008

I played around with Prism for a while, until I concluded that I really didn't need to use an "off-Web" application and that it was best to stick with the Web browser.

Now I wonder if the whole idea of off-Web applications (Prism, Bubbles and others) is simply a bad idea, inviting greater possibilities for security holes -- you have what are essentially all these individual Web browser components sitting on your desktop connected to the Internet.

vdz said 7:15AM on 5-30-2008

Hey guys!

Bubbles actually exists for like 2 years already, before FFX Prism was in it's mom's belly. I use it since then for things like Gmail, which is most convenient, when u have gmail's icon in sys tray painted blue when u have unread messages and just regular red envelop when don't have any new.

The thing is that you set the Bubble (gmail shortcut in this case) open on start up, and from then on your gmail inbox is a click away! Awesomely convenient! I hate it when u need to start looking for your gmail amonth the gazillion open tabs.

The notifications and all that are cool of course, but you have to really understand the idea: once having this 200K app installed you can write your own extension using the basic js scripting — how awesome is it?! You open a text file, wite what site u wanna open, where it's icon is, what js handles you want at what site's locations, e.g. "flickr.com/photos/vdz" so every page containing this URL will load your js script. (Check flickr extension). Then you jast save ur file with .bblbox extension and you have your own site shortcut.

I use Bubbles for gmail, online dictionaries, forums, that I frequently visit.

Also there's this cool feature: you close the bubble window with "x"and it just gets back to the tray until next time — addictive!!!

Vadim said 7:42AM on 5-30-2008

Hey, my name's Vadim, I'm on the Bubbles team. I'd like to explain why we built Bubbles two & half years ago.

So you ask ecellent question about why use Bubbles and not just regular shortcuts.

Well first of all Bubbles allows you to reach the web app u use in a flash! This one is my favourite feature. You have your web app sitting in your system tray behind a small favicon of the site — click it — a simple (no toolbars) browser opens with your web app. Close the window — the web app is back at the sys tray.

Now what web apps would u like to run this way? Not all for sure. But those you use frequently like dictionaries, calendars, email, forus you visit frequently, or any other community sites. May be even sites like flickr (Bubbles flickr extension allows you to drag your files to the browser window, and they are uploaded to your profile) or map sites.

One of the major differences between Bubbles and othe similar techlogies, besides us being the first up, is that our client is ~200Kb and is a development platform for anyone who wants to write their own shortcuts.

Shortcut or extension is an XML file with various definitions of how you want your web app to run: URL, URL specific JS handlers, context menu for tray icon, allowing to open links and runnig JS on the site.

The Bubbles browser allows securely extends browser's abilities to allow HTML notification at tray, drag & drop files to browser, changing icons in tray etc. So you can use all these either whle customizing your extension or building your site.

Anyway we have a growing comunity of thousands and people starting submitting their own extension to the site we've built for this very purpose.

The team behind Bubbles is a highly skilled team of programmers that are employed by various major internet companies in the US and world-wide.

This is what we do for love, tough :)

conor said 10:18AM on 6-01-2008

ill try it

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