IPhone Applications for Your Firefox Sidebar

Are you an iPhone user who just can't enough of the custom Web interfaces that many sites offer? Or maybe you don't own iPhone, but you'd like to take advantage of the usability enhancements those interfaces offer. Did you know that it many cases, those cool enhanced-for-the-iPhone interfaces can be loaded into your Firefox sidebar, creating a nifty way to utilize those mobile websites all time? Here's how to load some of your favorite iPhone sites into your Firefox browser sidebar.

Once you've decided on a site to load into your sidebar, configuring is actually pretty easy. Simply navigate to the iPhone specific URL, and bookmark as normal. Then, hit CTL+B on your keyboard to open your bookmarks in the sidebar. Right-click on the bookmark you just created, and click on the "Properties" option, and then in find the "Load this bookmark in sidebar" checkbox in the dialog that pops up. Make sure the box is ticked, click "Save Changes," and you're all set! Keep in mind you'll have to click on your bookmark from the sidebar for it to open in the sidebar. If you visit the URL directly or with a keyword, then it will open in the main window.

If you're not an iPhone owner though, what websites have iPhone interfaces that work well with the Firefox sidebar? Here are some of my favorites:

Facebook. The Facebook iPhone interface is really fantastic. If you're not already on Facebook, you should really consider it. It's fun and easy way to keep up with friends and family through blog posts, photo albums, and status updates. There are also tons of cool integrated web applications for sharing all kinds of other information as well. The iPhone URL is http://iphone.facebook.com/ .

Google Reader. Google Reader is arguably the best RSS feed reader around. It allows you to collect the content from your favorite sites all in one place, so you're not hopping all over the place when catching up on the news. Bring the clean, crisp, and easy to use Google Reader iPhone interface to to your Firefox sidebar by visiting http://www.google.com/reader/i/ .

iPodia. This site is a Wikipedia browser built specifically for the iPhone, that works great in your Firefox sidebar! Search all of Wikipedia's acclaimed content, use Wikipedia in your browser sidebar to write as you research! The URL is http://keishi.net/ipodia/.

Twitter Mobile. While designed specifically for the iPhone, the Twitter mobile interface is very nice, and works flawlessly in the Firefox sidebar. This a great way to have your Twitter updates visible and available at all times, without adding the bloat of an extra extension to your Firefox. Find it at http://m.twitter.com .

While not every iPhone optimized site will work perfectly with the Firefox sidebar, many will. Have fun enjoying the perks of the iPhone experience right inside your Firefox browser!