13 Websites that can replace iGoogle.

What are the iGoogle alternatives?

The iGoogle is a personalized start page from Google. You could add news, photos, weather and lots of other information into the start page. Yes but now, Google has decided to permanently close the doors of its operation on 1 November 2013. That is next  month !

Here are 13 websites to replace iGoogle.

1. Symbaloo

Symbaloo is a tool that allows you to store all your bookmarks in a single page. The little extra: you can add a thumbnail of your favorites to get a quick visual.

Screenshot of  Symbaloo.com

2. Netvibes

Certainly the best-known alternative of all. Founded in 2005, Netvibes has evolved with the times and is now the pioneer in custom Web Dashboards. Watch real-time personalization of mobile content and applications to manage your dashboard offline, Netvibes offers many options.

3. MyFav

Certainly one of the most beautiful websites in this list. Its minimalist appearance makes it a visually appealing tool. Although there are only four original favorites, you can set all the sites you want.

4. Kadaza

A website that is not visually stunning but turns awesome in homepage. Everything is customizable: URL, wallpaper, search engine, etc.

5. Start.io

As MyFav, Start.io offers a minimalist interface. This website allows you to list and classify all your favorite web pages in several categories. Registration is quick and everything is accessible from a single address.

6. My Yahoo!

Yahoo! is on all fronts, even on personalized start pages. The problem is that by scatter in all directions, Yahoo! loses momentum. I find the "full" home page too!


7. Favorisy

Favorisy is a website that allows you to save your favorite websites and access them at any time. Even if the design is too "flashy" , Favorisy does nonetheless a good start page.

8. Site Hoover

I was amazed by this website i discovered when creating this list! The settings are just a few clicks and a thumbnail is automatically generated on the address of your favorite websites.


9. Exalead

Exalead is the first website I have used in the genre! It is a web search engine in its own right also lets you add sites to your favorites directly on the home page.

10. Spaaze

Spaaze is a little "Pinterest page starting!" In fact, this website allows you to set favorite links, videos or notes on a cork board. Space is infinite and simplifies a bookmarklet you send to it.

11. myLinkCloud

This service allows you to have a home page where you group and organize your favorite sites, links to your social networks and your favorite widgets. You can add links, move inserts, and have a small notepad.

12. Startific

Startific is a free online service that allows you to have a fully customizable to your taste homepage. You set options to have everything on a single page.

13. Navigoo

  Navigoo is the last member of the list with some good features.

5 + great applications of Google Drive.

Google Drive: the Google Drive that that you never knew !

1. Save images and web pages directly to Google Drive.

During your intense internet surfing, sometimes you want to save interesting images and other web contents. If this is the case, then the extension "Save to Google Drive" will please you! As its name suggests, the extension allows you to save Web contents into the Google Drive in a click.

2. Attach files to Gmail from Google Drive.

The inter connectivity of Google services is undoubtedly the strength of the Mountain View company. So when your files are too heavy to be sent with Gmail, you can use Google Drive to save the files and then use the file link in Gmail.

3. Find applications you want to use in the Google Chrome store.

As I told you earlier, Google Drive is the high-end service from Google. So it is not surprising to find dozens and dozens of applications that allow you to do everything ... and anything with! Google Drive. Go for a ride on the Chrome Web Store , and you will find applications to create forms, merge PDF files, manage tasks, etc.. with the Google Drive.

4. keyboard shortcuts to increase productivity. 

Google Drive allows you to use keyboard shortcuts for direct navigation in your web browser. Copy, paste, insert a link, print, italicize, you can manage all these actions using Keyboard shortcuts. Just learn to manage Google Drive from your keyboard you will be surprised how your productivity will make sense for sure!

To find a list of keyboard shortcuts, you have to use the Google Support .

5. Edit and enhance photos in the Google Drive.

By installing extensions Pixlr Express and Pixlr Editor , you will have access to the  image editing functionality in the Google Drive itself. Right-click on an image to edit, and select one of two editing options. The image stored in Google Drive image is automatically sent to the Pixlr website. You can edit a photo and add over 250 effects!

6. Go to Google Drive ... even offline!

Zero Internet connectivity and air travel should not prevent you from working on Google Drive. Configure offline access to enjoy the following features even when you do not have Internet access:

• open spreadsheets and Google documents,
• edit files stored in Google Drive folder, etc..

7. Transform Google Drive  into a music player.

"Drive Music" is an extension for Google Chrome that lets you listen to your favorite music directly from Google Drive. After having authorized access to the Google Drive, you will find all the audio and  songs that you stored in Google Drive in the Drive Music extension where you will be able to play music online.

10 IFTTT recipes to automate Google Drive.

Automate anything online using IFTTT !

IFTTT is a very strange online service, but particularly useful. It automates your processes on the Internet by connecting more than 50 Web services together. The principle is simple: you connect Web services by giving them a few rules. Being a fan of Google Drive, I decided to share with you 10 recipes to automate Google Drive using IFTTT

• Google Reader + Google Drive: Rule to create a list of your Google Reader favorites (stars) in a spreadsheet.
• Dropbox + Google Drive : Rule to create a copy of the files that you create in the "Public" folder on Dropbox in the Google drive.
• Twitter + Google Drive: Rule to archive your Twitter favorites in a  Spreadsheet and save it in the Google Drive.
• Tumblr + Google Drive :  Rule to save the new pictures you sent on Tumblr in Google Drive.
• Blogger + Google Drive :  Rule to archive new items in a document in Google Drive.
• Google Drive + Facebook : Rule to save the new pictures you sent on Facebook in Google Drive.
• Email + Google Drive : Rule to download the attachments of a new email directly in Google Drive.
• Last.fm + Google Drive: Rule for scrobbling (made to send music to your Last.fm profile) a piece of Last.fm to a Google Spreadsheet and save it in Google Drive.
• Foursquare + Google Drive : Rule to keep a history of your reports on Foursquare locations in Drive.
• Instagram + Google Drive : Rule to save the new pictures you sent on Instagram in Google Drive.

Replace iGoogle with Backstit.ch - iGoogle closes it services on November.

iGoogle closes its doors on November 1, 2013.

For those who do not know it yet, iGoogle closes its doors on November 1, 2013. The free service launched by Google in May 2005 allowed to create a customisable Web portal to aggregate into a single page of continuous information flow. 

Backstit.ch is not new, but the site just had a fantastic update. Backstit.ch is a  good alternative to iGoogle. Although it can not be considered as  a alternative to iGoogle, it contains some of the great features offered by iGoogle.

RSS feeds, games, personalized services (Calendar, Weather, Gmail ...) and various modules of widget types allowed iGoogle to win against its opponents. Unfortunately  iGoogle stops its services , may be Google is looking forward to start a new service! So its time for us to move forward to other similar services

like Backstit.

Let's get started

Once you have registered your email for the service, you can browse through Backstit.ch to start creating your own start page. The current version focuses on social networks, news and photos. So you can add modules to your page as:

• News: selection of popular news sites like the New York Times, NBC, Mashable, TechCrunch, Engadget, etc.
•  RSS feeds: you can add RSS feeds to the start page or use the search form to find a site that interests you.
• Social: Although you can add other social networks, focus is on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, You can connect all your social accounts to the start page.