| Version | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | BubblesHQ |
| Release date | Nov 7, 2008 |
| Date added | Aug 19, 2008 |
| Os requirements | Windows, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista |
| Requirements | Windows 2000/XP/Vista |
| Total downloads | 6,847 |
| Price | Free |
Description
Your favorite web applications have been running in a Browser for too long. They're trapped in tabs, crammed between a gossip column, driving directions and an image search for cats. With Bubbles, your web-apps are a click away. Super-charged with new features like customized notification windows, even when your web-app is minimized. No more separation between your desktop and the web - use Bubbles, and your favorite apps are just a click away. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.
Review
A simple fix to the problem of too many open browser tabs comes in the form of Bubbles, a bit of freeware that forges ad hoc applications from Web sites and sticks them to your desktop or system tray. Bubble is the fanciful term for the result, but it's known more technically as a site-specific browser. In other words, for every Web site you add, Bubbles produces a single browser window that's been skimmed of its navigation so it looks and acts more like a desktop app. You can quickly create a bubble by entering the URL into the main Bubbles interface, though you'll want to check out Bubbles' list of presets for Facebook, Gmail, and so on to get notified of new activity by a system-tray pop-up.
Extremely easy to use, Bubbles will nevertheless be too basic for some and the limited number of configuration options may be frustrating. Though we recommend Bubbles for its swift solution, the program's inability to rescale the dimensions of the Web site within when minimizing the window is a small flaw that reminds us these are not traditional desktop apps.