18 October 2016

How to Capture Screenshots in Google Chrome without using Extensions


There are umpteen ways to capture screenshots of web pages in your Google Chrome browser. You can use the good-old Print Screen key (or Cmd+Shift+4 on a Mac), get a snapshot utility like SnagIt or the Windows Snipping Tool, or even better, get a dedicated Google Chrome extension like Smartshot that lets you capture the screen and annotate it.

What some may not know is that the newer versions of Google Chrome have a built-in screenshot capabilities allowing to perform screen captures without install any extensions. The more interesting part is that you can even add device frames to your captured images for more realistic mobile screenshots.

How to Screen Capture in Google Chrome

To get started, open any web page inside Google Chrome and choose Settings -> Tools -> Developer Tools. Alternatively, press F12 on Windows or Cmd+Opt+I on a Mac to directly open the Chrome Dev Tools window.

Next, toggle the Device Toolbar button so that it turns blue. Now select any mobile device from the built-in list of device presets. Set the zoom to 100% and click the Rotate icon to change the orientation (default is portrait mode).

The stage is set. Click the 3-dot menu in the right and enable device frame. Next, choose Capture Screenshot from the same menu to save a device screenshot in PNG format.

Mobile Phone Screenshots

Capture Screenshots in Firefox

You can capture screenshots of web pages in Firefox as well without installing any add-ons. Unlike Chrome which can only capture visible region, Firefox developer tools can take a snapshot of the entire web page and automatically saves it in your default downloads folder.

Open Web Developer tools inside Firefox and, under Settings, enable the option – Take a screenshot of the entire page. Firefox will add a camera icon to the developer toolbar letting you capture screenshots with one-click.

The story, How to Capture Screenshots in Google Chrome without using Extensions, was originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal on 18/10/2016 under Google Chrome, Screen Capture, Internet.
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Random Facts About Animals in Google Search


Did you know that "male lions defend the pride's territory while females do most of the hunting"? Did you know that "the name humpback whale describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive"? What about this one: "ostriches have the largest eyes of any land living animal and they measure 50 mm (2 inches) in diameter"?

Google now shows random facts about animals in the "did you know" section of the Knowledge Graph card. They're extracted from various sites and Google actually links to the source.



Some example of queries that return random facts: [cat], [lion], [alpaca], [giraffe], [ostrich], [duck], [elk], [raccoon]. It's worth pointing out that you can get another random fact by reloading the page or searching again for the same animal.
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Check iPhone Stock in nearby Apple Stores with a Google Sheet


You are planning to buy a new iPhone 7 but the model you want to have, the premium jet black finish with 128GB, is neither available at Apple stores in your area nor at any of the online shopping sites. Now the Apple website does have a simple tool to help you check the availability of iPhone, or iPad or any other Apple product, at their retail stores but you still need to perform these inventory checks manually.

Wouldn’t it be easier if these checks could be automated? You specify the iPhone model you wish to own, your preferred color, capacity, your area zip code, your desired carrier and the tool would send you an email alert when iPhone is back in stock at any of the Apple retail stores in your area. It’s like having someone check the Apple website for iPhone availability every few hours.

Check iPhone Availability by Zip Code

Check iPhone Stock at Apple Stores

What we have here simple Google Spreadsheet, that resides in your Google Drive, and it will monitor the Apple store in the background for iPhone availability.  When any of the iPhone models in your watchlist are back in stock at any of the nearby Apple Stores, you’ll get an email alert.

The email alerts (see sample alert) will also include a directly reservation link to help you book the device online for in-store pickup rather than having to drive down to the store.

Monitor iPhone Stock with Google Sheets

Here’s how you can use the Google Script based Apple Tracker tool for automatically tracking iPhone inventory at Apple Stores in your locality:

  1. Click here to make a copy of the Apple Tracker sheet in your Google Drive.
  2. The sheet has a list of every possible iPhone variant available at Apple Stores. Put your ZIP code, or your locality, against any iPhone model that you wish to monitor for availability.
  3. Go to the Apple Store menu (near Help menu), choose Start Tracker and authorize the script. You only need to do this once, the script is open-source and none of your data ever leaves your Google account.

That’s it.

The Google Script will check the inventory of all Apple Stores in the specified zip code and will send email alerts if it finds a store where your favorite Apple iPhone model is available for pick up. The email alert will also include the Apple store’s address and phone number.

Later, if you need to completely disable tracking, open your Google sheet and choose Uninstall from the Apple menu. If you need to remove tracking from certain iPhone models, just clear the corresponding ZIP column for that row.

Also see: Amazon Price Tracker made with Google Sheets

The story, Check iPhone Stock in nearby Apple Stores with a Google Sheet, was originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal on 17/10/2016 under IPad, IPhone, Internet.
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