15 incredibly useful sites you wish you knew about before now
Everyone has their favorite, frequently visited websites bookmarked in their browsers. Some might have a few, while others can take up the entire bar with extra folders on the side. Either way, it’s useful to have a set of websites at the ready.
At Komando.com, we’re no strangers to helping you build your bookmark list. We regularly bring you handy apps, helpful sites and useful resources you’ll use time and time again. What browser do you use to visit all these sites? Click to tap for our comparison of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Internet Explorer.
Now, we’re bringing you a brand new set of internet destinations that will make your life easier and more productive. You might not have heard of these before, but we’ll bet you’ll want to add them to your bookmarks.
1. See your connection speed with Ookla’s Speedtest
Speedtest has been around for some time now, and it’s highly respected as one of the most reliable ways to test your internet connection — no matter what device you’re using. Speedtest can help you determine your internet speed, whether or not you’re experiencing an outage or even if you’re being throttled by a carrier.
One of the best features is a metric that reveals your connection compared to the speeds promised by your internet provider. This can help you find out if you’re being ripped off and potentially provide you with negotiation power when haggling for a better deal.
Click or tap here to learn more about Speedtest.
2. Lost the instructions?
If you’re not sure how to use a tech gadget, the instruction manual is usually the best place to turn for answers — especially when customer support is closed for the day. But what happens when you open your drawer and find nothing but cobwebs?
Well, you can wait several weeks for the manufacturer to snail mail you a new manual, or you can check out ManualsOnline. This website is your instruction manual destination.
It breaks everything down into categories to help answer your questions. Plus, if you want to contribute, you can submit your manuals to help expand the community’s knowledge.
Click or tap here to learn more about ManualsOnline.
3. Caught in a data breach? Find out for sure
Data breaches are only getting worse. Despite our best efforts to stop them, hackers are smarter than ever and coming up with new tactics around every corner. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before one of your accounts or profiles falls victim to some kind of data theft.
If you suspect any of your profiles have been leaked in a data breach, HaveIBeenPwned is your best resource. Just type in the email address you’re worried about, and HaveIBeenPwned will run a search. Once it’s complete, it’ll report any findings. You can also search specific web domains and receive alerts to stay on top of your cybersecurity.
Click or tap here to learn more about HaveIBeenPwned.
4. Get access to thousands of beautiful stock photos for free
For all you creatives out there, this one’s for you! Graphic designers and artists are constantly on the hunt for high-quality images, but few of the biggest stock photo platforms are free to use.
That’s what makes Unsplash different. Unlike competitors, Unsplash’s library is made up of 100% community contributions, which means the artists submitting their photos and graphics are doing so for exposure. This means higher quality photos for you to use for any project, and the fact that it’s free only sweetens the deal.
The images are licensed for editorial and creative purposes, so feel free to decorate your blog and social media accounts with them, or even use them as templates to create a new masterpiece.
Click or tap here to learn more about Unsplash.
5. Become a better writer
Millions of professional and amateur writers rely on Grammarly every day to make their work shine. This free-to-use browser extension automatically highlights spelling and grammar errors in your text and can easily fix them with the click of a button. All you need to do is download the extension, write and scan. It’s that simple.
The app also uses advanced algorithms and machine learning to detect casual speech and tone in your words, so you don’t have to worry about correcting it all the time. It’s like having spell check built into your web browser.
Click or tap here to learn more about Grammarly.
6. Get the best coupons on the web
If you’ve ever been online shopping and wished there were coupons for your favorite sites, you’re not alone. There are thousands of coupons from retailers and affiliates that can save you money every time you shop — if you can find them. Don’t rely on a Google search and end up on a shady site trying to scam you.
Honey makes finding and applying digital coupons easy. Honey is available as a free browser extension that automatically applies the best coupons for applicable sites when you’re ready to check out. More than 15 million members have enjoyed thousands in savings, and for you shopaholics out there, every dollar counts.
Click or tap to learn more about Honey.
7. Find all your favorite shows and movies
Who hasn’t been on the couch with a movie in mind but no idea where to find it? There are tons of streaming platforms, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find specific content. To make things more complicated, movies and shows come and go every month. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a search engine just for streaming content?
Well, that’s where JustWatch comes in. Using a custom search engine, it scours all of the streaming networks for the titles you’re looking for and provides all available options. You can also build lists of your favorites and be instantly alerted when new episodes or updates are available.
Click or tap to learn more about JustWatch.
8. Send a secure message
Need to send something sensitive like an account username or password? Doing so over normal channels like social media or email can be a security nightmare, and hackers are always waiting for opportunities to strike.
Privnote was designed with security in mind. It generates temporary messages to keep your information private and creates a secure, one-time link for anything you type to send over the internet. Once opened, the message remains only until the window is closed, then it disappears forever.
Click or tap to learn more about Privnote.
9. Take a trip down memory lane
The Internet Archive has positioned itself as the web’s one-stop shop for important books, movies and retro PC games. Originally founded to document snapshots of defunct websites, it now offers expansive media libraries that millions rely on for reference and entertainment. Click or tap to listen to Kim’s interview with Brewster Kahle, the site’s founder.
And yes, you can still find your favorite websites from yesteryear here. Even if a website no longer exists, as long as it was online after the Internet Archive was founded, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find it again.
Click or tap here to learn more about the Internet Archive
10. Tell robots to take a hike
If you’re calling for customer service and get stuck with an answering machine, it can be extremely frustrating. A human assistant can hear the nuance in your voice and can go beyond a script to help serve you. So where can you turn when you need to speak with another human being?
GetHuman is a lookup tool that searches for direct customer service lines that skip the robots and automated menus. Just search the company you’re trying to contact and you’ll be in touch with a human representative in no time.
Click or tap here to learn more about GetHuman.
11. Synchronize your smart devices
A proper smart home is a lot like a symphony: Many moving parts come together to make sweet, sweet music. But, as with any tech, products from different manufacturers don’t always play nice with one another. Compatibility issues and glitches can make your smart home seem more like a dumb one.
But IFTTT aims to fix this. Short for “If This Then That,” this website helps you streamline your various internet-of-things-enabled gadgets with clear workflows that help them behave properly. It can also make your virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa even smarter as they piggyback off the chain of command.
Click or tap here to learn more about IFTTT.
12. Translate ‘legalese’ into English
Do you know what’s lurking in your user agreements? Many websites and platforms hide loads of shocking privacy policies in the fine print of their user agreements, and when users click “agree,” they often don’t even know what they’re agreeing to.
If you’re tired of all the privacy “gotchas” of modern websites, Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (ToS;DR) is your new best friend. Available as a browser extension, ToS;DR scans the user agreements of any website you visit and provides a readout of any privacy issues you’ll want to know about.
Learn exactly how Facebook is using your photos, or learn why it might not be the best idea to publish content on Twitter, with this handy app. It’s like having a lawyer in your pocket!
Click or tap to learn more about ToS;DR.
13. Never miss an Amazon deal
One of Amazon’s best features is how competitive the prices can be. But there’s a reason for it: The prices are constantly in flux.
Thankfully, that’s where CamelCamelCamel comes in. This website can track the prices of your favorite items on the world’s best online marketplace and alert you when the items on your wish list are on sale.
Click or tap here to learn more about CamelCamelCamel.
14. See if someone is stealing your connection
DNS hijacking is becoming increasingly common these days. When this occurs, a hacker can redirect your internet connection to malicious websites or even monitor your communications if you’re not careful.
But you can keep tabs on your connection with Who is My DNS. This website scans your internet connection automatically and provides a readout of your DNS server, reverse DNS and Internet Service Provider. With this info, you can easily determine if there’s anything fishy (or phish-y) with your connection.
Click or tap here to learn more about Who is My DNS.
15. Print pages off the web without ads
Despite our best technology, if you try to print from a website, there are several hurdles to jump. Ads are the most annoying and inconvenient parts of printing website pages. They waste precious ink and can ruin the aesthetic.
Instead of printing by default, convert your website to an ad-free version with Print Friendly & PDF. This browser extension reduces a website to just the essentials — text and images — which makes it the perfect app for printing and sharing web content.
Click or tap here to learn more about Print Friendly & PDF.
Tags: Amazon, cybersecurity, Google, hackers, internet, internet provider, security, web browser
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