Want to have instant access to all the RSS feeds you have subscribed to, without having to login and check them out through Google Reader?  You can do this by mixing Google Reader with Firefox’s Live Bookmark feature.  Since Google Reader outputs your reading list in RSS – it is easy to create a place where you can keep up to date with the latest news, without even launch the Google Reader website. 

Here is how you do it.

First, you need to log into the Google Reader website, and then in the address bar – click on the RSS icon. That should take you to the RSS feed page for all your unread items in Google Reader  Now, select to Subscribe to that feed using "Live Bookmarks" like so…

Go ahead and hit the "Subscribe Now" button, and then save your new Live Bookmark to your bookmarks toolbar.

Now, you have all the items you have not read in Google Reader showing up there too.  This will not mark them as read in Google Reader, but it does give you a quick way to preview items inside of Firefox from your Google Reader account, and saves you a few mouse clicks too.

Hope you enjoyed this quick tip!  Let me know if you have any other creative ideas when it comes to getting the most out of the Live Bookmarks feature from within Firefox.

The Google Reader Watcher add-on is handy to have, because it will check your Google Reader for unread new posts.  You can use this to keep track of how many stories you have yet to read.  Checking Google Reader with this add-on is much more practical than visiting the Google Reader web site several times a day, for those RSS feed addicts out there like me.

Next, I would have to say the Better GReader add-on for Firefox is fantastic for Google Reader fans.

This add-on for Firefox bundles several great Greasemonkey user scripts into one extension.  Better GReader adds useful extra features to Google Reader, like feed favicons, inline article previews, and unread counts in your browser tab.

Want to integrate Google Reader into the Gmail inbox?  If so, check out the Integrated Gmail add-on for Firefox.  It gives you Gmail, Google Calander, Googler Reader, and more all from within your Gmail account.  The most recent revision added:

• Significant Performance Boosts and Reduced Resource Dependence
• (Beta) Google Wave Support
• Native Google Tasks Support
• Schedule Once Meeting Scheduler Integration
• Support for Firefox 3.6

Last but not least, we have Google Redesigned.

Tired of how Google Reader looks?  Want to give it a massive redesign?  This add-on for Firefox gives you a complete redesign of all Google’s most popular services (including Google Reader).

Now, let me know your favorite Firefox extension to use in conjunction with Google Reader.  Is it one of these I mentioned, or do you have another favorite I have yet to check out?  Let me know in the comments.

Also, remember to subscribe to Firefox Facts in Google Reader – cause you’d hate to miss another great collection of tips like this one!

Need help watching your feed subscriptions in Google Reader? 

The Google Reader Watcher add-on for Firefox is here to help.  With this extension, you can be instantly notified when your favorite new source, blog or any other web site with an RSS feed is updated and ready to read in Google Reader. 

There is not a lot to  be said here.  Google Reader Watch (yes, the name does sound like it is having an argument with itself) simply checks your Google Reader for unread feeds and if you have, the plugin will display them on your browser’s status bar.

Now I usually only check my own Google Reader account once or twice a day.  However, if you want to stay on top of the latest updates this extension gets that job done.  For example, you could easily subscribe the your favorite Firefox blog, the greatest podcast about web hosting, and some guy named Mitch’s techie blog and find out all three were updated this morning.

You can pick up the Google Reader Watcher from the Firefox Add-ons web site.

Better Amazon – The Better Amazon add-on for Firefox highlights listings with free shipping, enlarges product images, cleans up book pages, shortens URLS and more on Amazon.com.  One of the best Amazon.com enhancers for your browser.

Better Flickr – A great complication of Greasemonkey scripts to make Flickr better for your average user.  You have the Flickr buddy icon reply, more user links, photo magnifier, page enhancer and a more feature rich editor.

Better GCal – The Better GCal add-on for Firefox is a favorite of mine.  It allows you to collapse the header and sidebar, wraps event titles, color weekend days, give week numbers and even a few skins too.  Google Calendar never looked so good!

Better Gmail 2 – A handful more of useful features you can add to your Google-powered e-mail client.  Here you have all kinds of useful additions, from macros to attachment icons.  You even have a few more skin choices and hierarchical labels.  Also don’t forget the first one, if your not yet rolled over to “Gmail 2″.

Better GReader – Add a few more popular Greasemonkey scripts into your Google Reader.  You can preview web pages inline in Google Reader, collapse the header and sidebar, get a Mac OS X like skin, add favicons and tons more.

Better YouTube – Enhances YouTube with Greasemonkey user scripts, that offer options like the FlowPlayer “doesn’t start till you hit play” viewer, clean “theater” view, and links to download the video automatically.

Better Lifehacker – I am a BIG fan of Lifehacker, so why not make them “better” too?  This extension enhances Lifehacker.com and other Gawker blogs–like Gizmodo, io9 Jezebel, Valleywag, Gawker, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Defamer–with useful Greasemonkey scripts.

Which is your favorite “Better” add-on for Firefox or which area of the Web would you like to see Gina cover next?

How do you make it happen?  Drag this link to your bookmarks bar:

• iPhone Google Reader

Now, right-click the bookmark, and select Properties.  Click the check mark box for loading this bookmark in the sidebar, and then click on the Save Changes button.  Now when you click the bookmark, it should open up the iPhone version of the Google Reader.  The buttons are a little funny, but everything should pretty much work like it does on the iPhone. 

If you want to read more about any story, click on the title, and then to go to the web page for the story or post, click on See original.  This will load up a lightweight version of the site where the story came from.  Not perfect, but still fun to play with and semi-functional to use.

Bonus Tip – drag this link (mini reader) to your bookmarks bar to make it a popup instead.  If you like that, you can read more about the Top 5 Google Popup Bookmarklets on Mitchelaneous.

One new add-on that might change my mind is Integrated GMail, an experimental extension that does a fine job at the previously mentioned task.  It allows you to make the inbox collapsible and loads your choice of Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google Notebook and Google Groups under it (they are also in collapsible boxes).

It was also recently featured on my list of  9 Google Reader Add-ons for Firefox via Mitchelaneous.com.

If your are inbox minimalist, enable minimalist mode to clean up the inbox even more.  This extension is well worth checking out.  You can pick it up on the Firefox Add-ons web site.  Once you do, let me know how it stacks up against other favorite Gmail tools of yours for Firefox.

If you believe the front page of Feedly.com, even Leo Laporte tweets, “My new favorite Firefox extension (and home page): Feedly.”.  I have heard about Feedly for a while now (from several sources), so I figured it was time I gave it a shot.  You can pick up the add-on for Firefox via the official Feedly web site or the Firefox Add-ons web site as well. 

The Install of Feedly

The toolbar icon for it is automatically  placed in your navigation toolbar, so I give it a click and it already has me signed in and has found my Google Reader account.  That is pretty cool.  Under social connections, it is asking me if I want to import Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Twitter or Friend Feed.  I handed it Twitter, then watched it work.  Ok, think this thing is up and running!

The Pros of Feedly

• I like the fact it works with Google Reader and Twitter (the only two I tried) right off the bat, with no problems at all.

The Cons of Feedly

• The ad box on the right of the web page layout is HUGE! (conveniently not shown in front page screenshot above).  Here is the huge ad in question.  You can click it to get the actual ad dimensions:

  

• The toolbar icon is ugly and has rough edges
• I had to resize my browser to larger than 1024×768 to see the page correctly (without a horizontal scroll bar).  Should be a more flexible layout.

Final Thoughts on Feedly

I have to say, after spending a little ‘bit of time with Feedly, I just don’t get it.  Why do I need a Firefox extension for this?  Couldn’t they do it all as just a web site that imports things I plug into it?  Now I understand all the social aspects, but it just does not tickle my fancy.

Agree or disagree?  Let me know what you like about Feedly and maybe you might win me over.

For those of you who are not familiar with the idea, Gina at Lifehacker is a master at rolling up a lot of great Greasemonkey hacks into one big extension for Firefox adding form, functionality and style to various Google services.

Here are some of the Greasemonkey Google Reader scripts that got rolled up into Better GReader:

• Air Skin
• Auto Add to Reader (bypass iGoogle choice)
• Minimalistic
• Optimized
• OS X Skin
• Preview Item (automatically)
• Preview Item (click button)
• Smart Subscribe

I always look forward to seeing what they do with their “Better” Firefox series of extensions at Lifehacker and this one is no different. Pick it up for yourself and let me know what you like or don’t like about it.

Anybody else run into this issue yet? Seems like with the last round of Google Reader updates they broke the widescreen view in Firefox.

After searching the Web for a solution or for others in the same boat at me – I couldn’t find much help. So what is a guy to do? Well I happen to be an avid fan of the Stylish extension so I thought I would write up a little fix using it to solve the problem.

+ Get Fix Google Widescreen View at UserStyles.org

Pick up my user style and see if it does the job for you. The only drawback is that this will get rid of the new toggle button for getting rid of the Google sidebar menu. Personally I have always just used the “U” key to get this job done. Hope this helps others out there being bugged by the same pesky issue.

Firefox only: Google Reader is one of the best web-based feed readers out there, but it could stand a few adjustments. Greasemonkey scripters have come up with a few Google Reader user scripts that make some welcome GReader tweaks like maximizing the viewing area, skipping Google’s default subscribe mechanism, and adding keyboard shortcuts.

I downloaded it the minute I saw it and haven’t stopped using it yet. Can’t wait to see what they do with it in the future. Good work guys (and gals) at Lifehacker!

+ Download and Install the Better GReader Extension for Firefox!