How to Open a Home Screen Link Directly in Chrome or Atomic (or Any Non-Safari Browser)
iPhone and iPad users who prefer Chrome or Atomic, or any browser other than Safari, wish they could save bookmarks directly on the Home Screen, like it can be done in Safari, to access web apps and bookmarks directly from a button.
Here is a very simple way to do it, using qoiob, which takes 2 seconds to set up, and works on iPhone and iPad. And no need to jailbreak!
Here is how it works:
(detailed explanations below)
- Find an unused shortcut/keyword on qoiob.
- In Safari, save this free shortcut (in fact, the error page) on your Home Screen.
- Back on the Safari error page, set up this shortcut, using the googlechrome:// or atomic:// prefix instead of the usual http://
- If needed, validate your shortcut.
That’s all. Easy!
Here are the details and explanations:
- Using Safari, try a shortcut which is probably not already in use, and type it as a web page to visit. For example: in your URL bar type “http://xoxi.net/instapaper_iphone” (without quotes), and if the shortcut is still not allocated, you will land on an error page that says “this keyword doesn’t exist yet, you can create it”.
- This page’s URL will become the shortcut once it will be setup, but for now it’s just an error page, which you can bookmark on your Home Screen. To save it on your Home Screen, tap the button with the arrow (or + sign), and select “Add to Home Screen”.
- Now, you have a Safari shortcut leading to an error page. Go straight back to Safari and fill the destination field on the qoiob.com form, with the URL you want to actually direct your shortcut to. For example “http://instapaper.com”. But instead of using “http://”, type “googlechrome://” or “atomic://” as a prefix, so that Safari will know you want to open the link in Google Chrome or Atomic Web Browser. In this example, you would enter “googlechrome://instapaper.com” or “atomic://instapaper.com”.
- Make sure you are either already logged into your qoiob.com account, or simply enter your email address in the bottom field so that you can validate your shortcut (validating a shortcut only requires one click in an email, and ensures it will never expire).
Once you created the shortcut, your Home Screen bookmark will become a link to Instapaper.com, which will first open for a very short instant with Safari, then automatically redirect to Atomic in a new tab.
Safari will not “remember” this empty opened link. And even better, it will not bypass Atomic’s passcode prompt if it’s set up to ask for it (the link will open normally, after you enter your passcode).
As I’m not sure about the protocols/prefixes for other browsers like Opera or iCab for instance, I’d be grateful if you can send them to me at @ZLOK so that I can update this page with more options. Thank you.
If you want to use the same shortcut on more than one device, you can first save to your Home Screen the same error URL, then create your shortcut on one of the devices, when all are ready.
Note: All available domains can be used both on qoiob.com and cauzes.com. But you can’t use the domains “qoiob.com” and “cauzes.com” themselves, since shortcuts can’t be created with them directly.
By the way, you may be extremely unlucky and someone register your keyword in the exact time between saving to Home Screen and setting up the qoiob shortcut. If that happens, qoiob will give you an error message that this keyword is already taken. If so, don’t panic: all you have to do is delete the bookmark on your Home Screen and start with a fresh one. Choose a keyword a little bit more complicated so that someone else doesn’t have the same idea as you at the same time.
You can choose a relatively long keyword, to be sure it is not already taken, because once it’s set up, you will not have to remember the shortcut anymore, nor to type it ever again. And if you want to remember it, this link will be visible in your qoiob account’s page.
Hope this help. :)
Comments? Questions? Send them to us at @qoiob_com
Adding Readability To The API
Sometimes, articles online are interesting, but the layout of the page, its colors, typography, are all wrong. It’s white on black, and the text is tiny for example.
Readability is a nice system that changes the page and makes it more comfortable to read. It’s also very useful for reading texts on mobile devices. One click and all the format is clean and friendly.
We like Readability, and we know our users like it too. So, we made qoiob support this service, by adding a new parameter to the API, for people who want to send links with Readability already embedded in the short URL.
To enable it, you will need to add a new parameter to the endpoint URL call, which should now be formatted like this:
(No space after the “?” or anywhere in the link)
- EMAIL is your email address (used as username for login)
- KEY is your API key (you can find your API key on your account page)
- “format” parameter can output txt, json, or xml
- “readability” can be set to 0 (inactive) or 1 (active)
- DOMID is the ID of the domain you want to use in the shortened link (see list at http://blog.qoiob.com/post/6174059230/api-domain)
- LINK is the final URL destination, usually your endpoint variable
If you don’t want to use it, no need to do anything, and it will simply be ignored.
Note: We didn’t link user databases for cauzes.com and qoiob.com, so you will need to create an account for each if you want to use both. The API works the same on both, just need to change the domain at the beginning of the URL.
- Comments? Questions? Tell us what you think at twitter.com/qoiob_com
How to define which domain will be used when calling the API?
If you use Twitter clients like Tweetdeck (click here for setup details) or web based services like dlvr.it for instance, you can use our API to set up automatic shortcuts from your posts, etc. (click here for setup details).
By default, the system will take the first domain name available and assign it to your shortcut. But, if you want to choose your preferred domain name, you need to add one variable in the URL endpoint settings.
The variable to add is “domain::ddd” (without quotes) where ddd is the ID number of the chosen domain. For example, for ✰.ws you would use “domain::2”.
The URL then becomes:
http://qoiob.com/api/shorten/?theKitchenSink=login::xxx||apiKey::zzz||format::txt||domain::ddd||longUrl::yyy
or
http://cauzes.com/api/shorten/?theKitchenSink=login::xxx||apiKey::zzz||format::txt||domain::ddd||longUrl::yyy
(Note: there is no space after the ? or anywhere in the URL)
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Here is the list of available on qoiob.com and cauzes.com, and their respective IDs:
qoiob
➪.ws : ID=1
✰.ws : ID=2
ツ.tv : ID=3
⍥.ws : ID=5
▶.ws : ID=6
☎.ws : ID=7
♘.ws : ID=8
♟.ws : ID=9
tcho.net : ID=10
viio.net : ID=11
xoxi.net : ID=4
모.ws : ID=12
ᄒ.ws : ID=13
ж.tv : ID=14
cauzes
☾oe✡is†.ws : ID=1
eatlessmeat.ws : ID=2
freeburma.ws : ID=3
freetibet.ws : ID=4
givetojapan.ch : ID=9
nomoreplastic.ch : ID=8
pastafari.ws : ID=5
renewableenergies.ch : ID=7
stopnuclear.ch : ID=6
We will update this page when we add new domain options.
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Comments? Questions? Tell us what you think at twitter.com/qoiob_com
Esqueceu sua senha?
Não é possível entrar em sua conta mais? Não há problema: basta seguir estes passos simples e você acessar a sua conta em nenhum momento.
- Ir para a página inicial qoiob.com.
- Verifique se você está desconectado (ou seja, “Criar uma conta”é exibida na parte superior).
- Crie um redirecionamento de novo, usando o mesmo endereço de email da sua conta existente.
- Clique no link de validação contidos no e-mail de verificação.
- Você está logado!
- Página de sua conta, basta clicar no botão “reset senha ” e criar um novo.
Por que não simplesmente enviar a senha para você?
Devido a sua senha são criptografados com segurança a partir do momento que você criou, e mesmo que quiséssemos, não seria capaz de decifrá-lo.
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Comentários? Perguntas? Diga-nos o que você pensa em twitter.com/qoiob_com
Mot de passe oublié?
Vous ne pouvez plus vous connecter à votre compte? Pas de soucis: suivez simplement ces quelques instructions et vous pourrez vous identifier en un rien de temps.
- Allez sur la home page de qoiob.com (ou cauzes.com, si vous venez de là).
- Vérifiez bien que vous n’êtes pas identifié (c’est-à-dire “Créer un compte” est affiché tout en haut de la page).
- Créez un nouveau lien, en utilisant la même adresse email que celle associée à votre compte.
- Cliquez le lien de validation contenu dans l’email de vérification que vous recevez.
- Vous êtes identifié!
- Une fois sur la page de votre compte, cliquez sur “changer de mot de passe” et créez-en un nouveau.
Pourquoi nous ne vous envoyons pas simplement votre ancien mot de passe par email?
Parce que votre mot de passe est chiffrée de manière sécurisée sur le serveur, dès le moment où vous l’avez créé, et même si nous voulions, nous ne pourrions pas le décrypter.
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Commentaires? Questions? Dites-nous tout à twitter.com/qoiob_com
What is Cauzes?
Unlike other redirection services that make URLs as short as possible, Cauzes offers a new way to create short addresses that also promote a message you believe in.
Not shorter: More meaningful instead
Cauzes lets you embrace and propagate your convictions every time you send or publish a link. Because you don’t always need your short URLs tiny, and you’d rather have them share your values with the world.
Better (user) experience
Created by Swiss studio ZLOK, and powered by qoiob, Cauzes was built with quality and user experience in mind. It uses original new ways to make things simple for the users, but harder for spammers and abusers.
On Cauzes, you don’t need to register an account before you can create a new shorcut. But at the same time, making a new shortcut creates your account automatically, allowing you to track real time stats, etc.
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Questions? Comments?
Tell us what you think (or just say hi) at twitter.com/qoiob_com
How to use qoiob with Tweetdeck?
Tweetdeck is a popular client for Twitter, which automatically shortens URLs while you are typing tweets. To have it use qoiob for your own shortcuts, simply follow these very easy setup steps.
1. Create your qoiob account.
You must have a qoiob account to get your own personal API key. To create an account, all you need to do is to create your first shortcut on www.qoiob.com and the validation email sent to your address will allow you to access your account page to find your API key (read more about it here).
If you already have an qoiob account, then you already have an API key. Simply login and visit your account page to find it.
2. Set up Tweetdeck
Open the Settings menu in Tweetdeck by clicking the “settings” button, in the top-right corner of the screen.
There you will find a “Services” menu on the left-hand side. Click on it.
Then, select “Other” in the drop-down menu of URLs shorteners.
In the input field “Other URL Shortening Endpoint”, enter the following string, after you replaced “xxx” by your qoiob login email address, and “zzz” by your API key. Variables are separated by ||.
http://qoiob.com/api/shorten/?theKitchenSink=login::xxx||apiKey::zzz||format::txt||longUrl::%@
(Note: there should be no space after the ? or anywhere else in the string.)
Click the “Save settings” button.
3. Activate auto-shortening in Tweetdeck
With “auto-shortening” enabled in the update window, TweetDeck will automatically shorten any URLs that you type or paste into the update box. If auto-shortening is not yet enabled, turn it on by clicking the 
button (more about auto-shortening on Tweetdeck’s support site).
Can I choose which domain will be used when new shortcuts are created automatically from the API?
Yes, read this post for more details on how to set the endpoint link.
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Comments? Questions? Tell us what you think at twitter.com/qoiob_com
QR or not QR?
Do you use QR codes?
Popular in Japan, and getting some traction in the US (but not so much in Europe, yet), QR codes are those two-dimensional barcodes readable by mobile phones and smartphones. These black dots arranged in a square pattern contain text information such as a URL, and if you scan the one at the top of this post for example, it will return: http://➪.ws
One use of such code is found in print media, where URLs can easily be scanned, allowing readers to access a web address without having to type it manually in their phone. Another use can be desktop websites offering easy direct access to their mobile version, or to a mobile application (iPhone, Android…) download.
A few days ago, Google announced that their shortcut service goo.gl is now available to the general public, for use with any non-Google URL. At the same time, they also made a small — geeky — announcement that if you simply add “.qr” to the end of any goo.gl URL, it will create a QR code that can be scanned to get the URL.
TechCrunch says it is “very useful”, and I am wondering if users really want such a feature, or if it is more a fun gimmick than anything. Of course, it’s “cool”, but is it really “useful”?
The thing is, unlike in Japan, QR readers are still not installed by default on US and European mobile phones. Yes, it is only a clic away for those who want to install one, but “one clic” is still infinitely more than “zero clic”, and for most people it is a hassle to go to the app store and browse through options, when in fact they wanted to be able to save time with a quick scan.
However, once installed it really is fast and easy to use, and if a big retail company started using QR in their marketing campaigns (e.g., “scan the label of your cola and get your next one free”), smartphones owners would start using QR scanners more readily. Chicken and egg.
What’s puzzling is that on principle, a QR code is already a shortcut, and therefore doesn’t need a shortcut (although, the shorter the URL contained, the simpler the code), but it might be useful for some who want the best of both worlds?
Goo.gl didn’t put this feature forward much, they present it as a cool gadget, and they rather insist on how reliable and fast they are. Which is why I am wondering if it is something worth studying, to see what could be done with it, and perhaps incorporate it into qoiob.
What do you think?
Do you have a QR code reader installed on your phone? Do you use it often? Would you use this feature for your own shortcuts?
Piglets and bookmarklets come in 3
We’re very excited to introduce our new bookmarklets (or piglets, as we affectionately call them) on qoiob today. There are now 3 flavors to choose from.
The first one is still available, and works fine with mobile devices such as the iPhone, where it can even be used as a “normal” bookmark. It captures the address of the page where you are, and takes you to qoiob, where the form is already filled out. It also remembers your preferences from last time, your email address, etc. You don’t need to be signed in to use it.
The second one is faster (and prettier too). When you click it, a little pop-up window opens so you don’t need to leave the page you were on. In that pop-up, you can choose a domain and keyword (optional), then hit enter or click the submit button. It returns the short URL, which is already selected so that you can copy it to your clipboard directly. You must be signed in to install this bookmarklet, but once it’s in your bookmarks bar you don’t need to be signed in to use it.
The third superfast piglet is for those who don’t want to choose a keyword, and want to click less. When you use it, a pop-up window opens with the short URL already created and ready to be copied and shared. As with the other two, it remembers the last domain name you chose. You need to be signed into your account to install it.
The reason why you need to be signed in to see and install the fast and superfast piglets is because they are set to use your account in the background. They are built using the qoiob API, and each user’s code is unique and personal. This way, your shortcuts are stored and linked to your account, even when you’re signed out.
Of course, all three contain direct links to Twitter, Buzz, and Facebook, for easy sharing with a single click.
You can install any or all three piglets in your browser, depending on how you plan to use them. To install a bookmarklet, all you need to do is to click and drag the link to your browser’s bookmarks bar. (More detailed instructions here)
Try them and let us know what you think. We hope you’ll love them as much as we do.
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Comments? Questions? Tell us what you think at twitter.com/qoiob_com
How to use qoiob on an iPhone?
qoiob bookmarklet on iPhone
These instructions will help you make a qoiob bookmarklet on your iPhone, so you can shorten links directly from Safari in one click.
Step 1: Bookmark This Page
Tap the plus button at the bottom of the screen, then select Add Bookmark.
Name your bookmarklet something like “qoiob”, save it in your “Bookmarks” folder, then tap Save.
Step 2: Edit The Bookmark
Copy the link below. To do so, simply tap and keep your finger on the text for a few seconds, then choose “Copy”.
[ Copy the link of this text ]
Tap the Bookmarks button at the bottom of the screen.
Find the bookmark you just made. Tap Edit, then tap on the bookmark itself.
To modify the bookmark URL, tap the URL field (it begins with “http:”), erase all content, then replace it with the text you just copied (just tap once in the empty field and then choose “Paste”).
Then, delete everything that comes before “JavaScript:” (i.e., “http://____”).
The finished URL should look like this:
Step 3: Use The Bookmarklet
First, go to qoiob.com and sign into your account. You will only need to do this once, and the system will remember you next time you visit. (You can log out at any time.)
When you’re surfing the web and want make a shortcut link to share or bookmark for later, just tap the Bookmarks button, then tap “qoiob”. The current link will be sent to qoiob, where you can choose a keyword, and share it on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
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Comments? Questions? Tell us what you think at twitter.com/qoiob_com
