As our online lives get busier and busier, we're always on the lookout for programs that will make us more efficient. There are lots of tools that can do this, from helping us get organized to keeping our email in order. But what about browsing the Internet, a task that makes up a large part of many people's day?
Cleeki is a tool that is designed to maximize searching on the net, and it can also be used on your computer. You enable the program, minimize it, and use it via a series of hotkeys. When you come across a word or phrase that you want more information on, you toggle Cleeki, which captures the search term in question, looks for it on a variety of search engines and displays the results within your browser. All the hotkeys are customizable, as are the search engines Cleeki uses. Results are displayed in a pop-up close to your search, but this pop-up materializes into a more functional program window when you interact with it.
Cleeki is a great idea in theory, but not so smooth in practice. The program website mentions various functions that are not immediately visible, and when I tried to use it in programs installed on my computer, the results were patchy. There are usage demos online, but they are dry and boring. Cleeki seems to have sharing features, such as social network, emailing and blogging functions, but when I tried to use them, they seemed to open only in Internet Explorer using the Te!! A Friend provider, which worked only sporadically. Cleeki has a number of features that make it an interesting option, but you need patience to become truly comfortable with it.
Cleeki is an interesting tool, but doesn't make a great first impression.
