7 Internet Explorer Add-Ons to Supercharge Your Browsing

One of the more significant developments for Internet Explorer 7 was the introduction of add-ons, which lets third-party developers add features that are missing in the original browser. The appropriately named Windows Marketplace is where you'll find these add-ons, which are not all free.

Although the selection of add-ons isn't as extensive compared to the number of Firefox extensions, you can still find several (for free) that help make your web browsing faster and more productive. We'll highlight seven of these add-ons for IE7:

1. IE7Pro: This is an extremely feature-rich add-on that includes mouse gestures, crash recovery, tab history, support for Greasemonkey-like scripts, and much more. We could almost end this post right here given how feature-packed this add-on is.

2. GooglePreviewIE: Adds thumbnail images to the search results pages of Google and Yahoo so you can preview websites before clicking through.

3. IECopySelectedLinks: Forget about copying links one by one. This add-on lets you select multiple links at once and copy them to the clipboard. Very handy when you need to do some research.

4. BizForm Bar: Until identity management systems like OpenID start being adopted en masse, filling out registration forms at every website you go to will be a continuing headache. Make life easier by installing an auto form filler that will remember your passwords and personal information for you.

5. ieSpell: One of the most useful features in Firefox 2 is the inline spell-checking feature. Now you can have it in IE7 too. If you're a blogger, this is a must-have.

6. StumbleUpon Toolbar: Join 2 million other users who are channel-surfing the web. Now that eBay has acquired StumbleUpon, you'll be hearing a lot more about it if you haven't already.

7. RSS Feeds Toolbar: Displays the latest feed headlines in a toolbar. Perfect for the feed addict who needs to stay in constant contact with the latest news.

Bonus: FoxyTunes for Internet Explorer: Lets you control media players like iTunes, Winamp, and Windows Media Player from your browser. A must-have for heavy music listeners.

Labels: Technology