If you like a nice, organized, useful homepage, then iGoogle is a nice choice. Like other customizable homepage options, iGoogle allows users to add different widgets that give you fast access to all sorts of information. For instance, a widget that lets you see your monthly appointments, or your email inbox, the local weather conditions, and more. All are ready to add to your homepage, and a whole lot more.
All in all, iGoogle is pretty darn good. The problem comes (and this is as problem many websites have), because all of the other “stuff” Google puts on the page along with your widgets. There is the sidebar, the header, the footer, and all of these items take up space that your widgets could be using. Just compare the two screenshots in this article, where you see iGoogle before using the Super iGoogle extension for Firefox, and after. There is a world of difference, and add to it the fact that Super iGoogle is incredibly easy to use, and it’s a real winner.
To install Super iGoogle, simply head over to its homepage located at the Firefox Addons page. You can click here to go there directly.
Once there, click the big green button to install, then follow the instructions. When you’re finished, restart Firefox and then when it loads, visit iGoogle.
Immediately you’ll notice that the large Google search box is missing. This is part of the header, which Super iGoogle removes automatically. Don’t worry, though. If you like it, it’s easy to add back. You’ll also notice a little gray arrow on the left side, near the sidebar. Click this to trigger the sidebar off and on. It’s amazing how much space this safes, and that saved space allows your widgets to be that much wider, and so to show that much more content.
To access the four changes Super iGoogle can make to your iGoogle homepage, you have two options. First is to use the keyboard combinations (Alt-1, Alt-2, Alt-3 and Alt-4), or you can access them from the gears menu located in the upper right corner. (The options should be the last four items in the menu.)
What can Super iGoogle do? As mentioned, it can remove the header. This immediately saves you roughly 100 vertical pixels, which means widgets that might have been “hidden” (by being below the bottom of your browser window), are now visible. As mentioned, Super iGoogle can hide the sidebar, which again saves space. It’s nice that this actually has the little trigger arrow, since there is useful “stuff” in the sidebar (especially the chat widget). Third, Super iGoogle can remove the footer (which really doesn’t save any useful space, since it’s at the bottom of the page and you never really need to scroll down that far), and finally, it can add in a mini search box in the upper toolbar. This is a fantastic option, especially if you’ve hidden the header, as with the header removed you’ve also lost your search box. This puts it back, and still saves you space.
As you can see from the screenshots, Super iGoogle takes what was already a very nice homepage, and gives it a makeover. It’s now leaner, more efficient, and far less cluttered. You save space, make things simpler to find, and all with a simple extension. It’s a big win, all the way around.