Can We Make It Cleaner? Yes.

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We’re releasing an enhancement today that makes the YouTube viewing experience even cleaner. Compare the screenshots below.

This …

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

… versus this:

Cleaner Flower

While the video’s playing, we’re fading out everything except the video’s title. But we don’t fade out the controls if you’re reading comments or searching because, well, that’d be annoying. And if you want the controls back while watching, just move your cursor.

We’ve enhanced the Amazon experience, too, in small ways and fixed a few things here and there.

We hope you like the even cleaner viewing experience. And feel free to send us any feedback you might have.

Netted

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We’re proud this week that we were Netted by the Webbys.

Their imaginary scenario hit on why we built the extension:

Imagine your TV screen had flashing banner ads, pictures of other shows, viewer stats, and a comment section.

You’d probably watch a lot less television.

Using our extension, they said, was, “visually stunning: You don’t realize how much extra junk is on the page until you see a before and after photo. (Activate the extension on Amazon too for an even bigger shock.)”

The result of being Netted? Lots of Twitter love in tweet-sized doses:

“Wow. This is simply brilliant” – @72andSunny

“Gold!” – @brainpicker

And then, from Netted: “eLast week’s most popular Netted was @cleanerinternet Minimalism is back, baby! (Who’re we kidding, we just want the comments outta there.)”

We thank all of you who are using the extension and sharing it with friends, family and coworkers.

 

 

Sharing Clea.nr Videos: An Extension Update

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We’re releasing version 4 today. And this version has a major new feature: you can now share a video URL with a friend or family member and that video will be as clutter-free for them as the video you see with our extension installed. Here’s a screenshot of where you’ll find the share URL option:

Give it a try. It’s even a fashionably short URL (and this is our, or at least my, favorite test video). Here’s a link to try:

http://yt.clea.nr/cfOa1a8hYP8

Also you can now search for and view videos from our clea.nr YouTube site: http://youtube.clea.nr/. The site works for browsers our extension doesn’t yet support, including recent versions of Internet Explorer and Opera. And the site works on a range of devices. The iPad being one of those devices.

As you’ll see, we’re able to reproduce almost the entire YouTube experience without needing the extension. But not quite everything. If you want to comment on videos, save favorites, or do anything account related, you’ll need to visit YouTube proper, not http://youtube.clea.nr/.

In addition to the above, this update contains bunches of other small improvements and tweaks.

We’ve also fine-tuned our Amazon experience with this release. Our focus with Amazon is on refining Amazon’s look so you can get to the information you need without wading through what we think is, well, different design. Lots of visual clutter on an Amazon page fights for your attention when you’re there to either buy or read about what you want to buy. Giving the pages a minimalist overhaul can help people see the simplest of the most necessary things: prices, the buy button, the reviews.

Our Amazon cleaning, though, is cautious and iterative and will be an on-going process.

That’s all for now. We hope you enjoy the update.

New YouTube? No Surprises

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Today we’re releasing version 3.2 of clea.nr Videos. We’ll give you some details after the screenshots, but we can’t resist showing the screenshots first.

The new YouTube:

The new clea.nr YouTube, which is even a bit cleaner than the old clea.nr:

To borrow a phrase from Radiohead, the YouTube redesign has no surprises. Still cluttered. But still cleanable.

Our update, then, better accommodates the redesign, fixes a few minor bugs and adds some interface refinements. For example, it better accommodates smaller screens and it’s a bit more subtle in places. Yes, we even clean our cleaning. Because good design is as little design as possible.

Enjoy.

Firefox Users: We’ve Updated clea.nr Videos for YouTube

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Firefox users, you’re now up to the same version as our Safari and Chrome users. To get the update, however, you may need to install and/or reinstall using this link:

http://clea.nr/install/

Wondering what’s new for Firefox? Here’s the run down:

  • Rebranding! Grand re-opening as … clea.nr Videos for YouTube™ (you can read the name change story).
  • You can now unhide/show suggested videos.
  • A thanks page. Because we want to thank you.
  • An option to “Dim Lights” –all but the video darkens in the browser window (find it just under the video itself).
  • Some sweet new but subtle UI enhancements.
  • An option to disable our Amazon Associate ID (applies when not cleaning Amazon).
  • Recommendations no longer show on YouTube’s home page if you were logged in but didn’t have subscriptions.

And like the thanks page says, thanks.

Wondering why aren’t we in the Firefox add-ons/extensions gallery? In short: their review process moves at a glacial pace and has esoteric requirements. (No minified code? Pshaw!)

Where’d We Go? Once Again Removed from the Chrome Web Store

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We’ve been removed from the Chrome Web Store once again. This time Google has removed our extension because we block advertisements.

As has happened before, our link on the Chrome Web Store, reads: “An error occurred: Item not found. This item may have been removed by its author.”

So it’s clear: though it says we may have removed it, we didn’t remove it. We’re in more discussions with Google to find out how our blocking of ads differs from other extensions that block ads. As we know more, we’ll let you know more.

clea.nr Videos: What’s New in Version 3.0.2

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Here’s what the update includes:

  • Rebranding! Grand re-opening as … clea.nr Videos for YouTube™ (you can read the name change story).
  • You can now unhide/show suggested videos.
  • A thanks page. Because we want to thank you.
  • An option to “Dim Lights” –all but the video darkens in the browser window (find it just under the video itself).
  • Some sweet new but subtle UI enhancements.
  • An option to disable our Amazon Associate ID (applies when not cleaning Amazon).
  • Recommendations no longer show on YouTube’s home page if you were logged in but didn’t have subscriptions.

And like the thanks page says, thanks.

clea.nr Videos for YouTube™: The Name Change Story

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We’ve changed the extension’s name. It’s now “clea.nr Videos for YouTube™.” Safari users will today, or the next time Safari checks for updates, be getting the updated extension with its new name.

Why the change? I’ve written about the name change for Chrome and the story is the same for Safari: a branding problem. Google contacted us and we changed the name.  (If for some reason you didn’t know–e.g. you were helping the NASA Spirit rover on Mars’ Low Ridge back in October 2006–Google owns YouTube.)

And that’s the story.

Newsflash! … clea.nr in French, Spanish and German

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Newsflash! Or flashes of us around the web today in French, Spanish and German.

Merci. Danke. Gracias.

And … We’re Back for Chrome

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We’re back for Chrome Users and with a new version you can download from our website.

Here’s what’s new:

  • Rebranding! Grand re-opening as … clea.nr Videos for YouTube™
  • An option to “Dim Lights” –all but the video darkens in the browser window (find it just under the video itself)
  • A “thank you” page
  • Some sweet new but subtle UI enhancements
  • An option to disable our Amazon Associate ID (applies when not cleaning Amazon)
  • Recommendations no longer show on YouTube’s home page if you were logged in but didn’t have subscriptions.

Version 3 isn’t out yet for Safari and Firefox and this update isn’t available via the Chrome Web Store for now. Why?

We’re still talking with Google about getting our extension back into the Chrome Web Store. To keep the story short we’ll say the extension was removed because of a branding problem. That said, Chrome users who download from our site will get the newer version that solves, we hope, the branding problem and adds some features.

Chrome users are getting it first because, well, we want to comply with Google’s branding guidelines and if this works for Google’s trademark folks, then it’ll get rolled out beyond Chrome.

When this version gets Google approval, we’ll release it more widely for Safari and Firefox. We’ll keep you updated here, at Twitter and at Facebook.