If you're having trouble viewing a Web page — if it seems to take forever to load, or freezes up and won't display, for example — you might be able to improve the page's performance with a little help from Skweezer.
Skweezer is a free service from Greenlight Wireless that makes Web pages display better on mobile devices. But it can also make some pages display more efficiently on your Internet receiver.
Skweezer compresses and reformats Web pages so they load faster and are easier to navigate. This can come in handy on complex, text-and-graphics-filled pages like online news services or auction sites. Skweezer's navigation efficiency comes at the expense of aesthetics, as pages are generally whittled down to the bare minimum: long, scrolling lists of text and links. However, you have the option to display graphics, which slows performance a bit but makes pages more visually appealing.
Let's give Skweezer a try.
- In the Search box on the MSN TV home page, type www.skweezer.net, and then choose Go.
- Type a Web address in Skweezer's Search box. For this experiment, type www.roadsideamerica.com.
- Choose Search.. A minimalist version of the Roadside America site appears.
Once you're looking at a site via Skweezer, you can choose links on the site. The links can take you to other parts of that site, or to a different site, which in turn might have links. Keep in mind that if you're looking at a site using Skweezer, and then choose a link that takes you to a second site, you'll be looking at the second site — and subsequent sites you visit — via Skweezer as well.
If you're not sure whether you're looking at a page via Skweezer, scroll down to the bottom of the page and see if the Skweezer copyright info is there. If it is, you're using Skweezer. To exit Skweezer and return to regular page display, choose "Click here to view without Skweezer" at the bottom of the page, or press Home on your keyboard. (Note that pressing the Back key will return you to the Skweezer version of the page.)
Tip: To scroll down to the bottom of a page quickly, press Ctrl+Page Down on your keyboard.
IMPORTANT: Because Skweezer provides a "gateway" that reformats and displays sites, online security is not airtight. Therefore, you should NOT use Skweezer for sites that involve financial transactions. If you plan to enter any financial or personal information at a site (for example, a credit card number or a bank account number), use the original version of the site, rather than the site displayed by Skweezer.
Skweezer is built for speed, so the pages it displays aren't always pretty. If you like, you can experiment by turning the graphics display on and off. If you don't want to see graphics, choose Hide Images from the bottom of the page. If you do want to see graphics, scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Show Images.
If you like using Skweezer, you can sign up as a Skweezer member and log in. That way, you can create a list of Bookmarks for your favorite sites. Then you can simply choose a site from the Bookmarks list to view it a-la-Skweezer, rather than typing its Web address.
To become a Skweezer member:
- In the Search box on the MSN TV home page, type www.skweezer.net, and then choose Go.
- Choose Log In.
- Choose Sign Up, and then enter a user name and password.
Now you can log in to Skweezer and create your own list of Bookmarks.
If you don't mind sacrificing looks for speed, Skweezer can be a handy tool for viewing slow-to-load Web sites. Just remember that you shouldn't use Skweezer to go to sites where you'll enter financial or personal information.
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