Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Quick.as?

Quick.as is a customizable portal you setup on a computer and can then access from any web enabled device. Performing a "Quick Search" or clicking a "Quick Link" will take through to a version of the site optimized for the device you're using.

Quick.as is free and can greatly enhance web browsing productivity.

  • screenshot of Quick.as"Quick Search" enables you to search multiple sites from the one search bar. It's not replacing Google or Yahoo search; rather it's a different start point that ultimately shows the same search results. For example "gm Mt Erica Hotel" will show the search results on Google Maps.
  • screenshot of Quick.asThe "Quick Links" are basically like favourites or bookmarks. They're automatically detected when you access Quick.as for the first time, and can be customized (if you choose to register and login).
Why's It Useful?
  • It's difficult to type on mobile devices (iPhone and mobile optimized versions, and iPhone app).
  • It's hard to remember mobile optimized URLs (example.mobi, m.example.com, example.com/m, etc.).
  • Provides consistent method to accessing web content on all devices.
  • People don't want to be locked in to walled garden of services/sites/portals.
  • Quick.as is independent and does not push services from any particular property (Google, Yahoo, MSN).
  • Off-portal mobile browsing is becoming more prevalent yet not simple to access.
  • People increasingly go to the same information sources. Quick.as get's them there quicker.
  • With intuitive design, Quick.as is bringing keyboard shortcuts to the masses (not just the tech savvy).
How does it save me time?

After extensive research guessing, it seems the majority of the Internet sites people visit can be classifies as either ...

  • Search sites. These are sites that you go to to find out about something ... hope that did not blow your mind! You can search for almost anything on Google but often it would be quicker and easier to jump straight to searching another "specialist" site. You might want to look up something on Wikipedia, eBay, or Amazon ... or you might want to do a currency conversion, find out the time in Timbuktu. Using a command in the Quick.as search bar your can perform these searches directly and quick.as-a-flash!
  • Destination sites. These are sites where you and not going to look for the answer to a specific question, rather you are just going to check things out or perform a task (another knowledge bomb for ya). You might want to read the latest news, do some online banking, see what your hommies are up to on Facebook, or check out the box scores in the NBA. There are often an handful of sites that you visit multiple times a day ... or week. Put links to these sites on your Quick.as page and you can access these sites quick.as-a-flash!

So to make a short answer long, Quick.as allows you to get to where you want to go in the web quick.as-a-flash!

How much time will it save me?

It will add 15 days to your life ... money back guarantee*!

Let's assume you have just loaded your browser. Take the example of searching for the Da Vinci Code DVD on Amazon.

A "normal" search With Quick.as as your home page
  1. click Click on the address bar.
  2. type Type in "www.amazon.com" and press enter.
  3. wait Wait for page to load.
  4. click Click in the search box on the Amazon site.
  5. type Type in "Da Vinci Code" and press enter.
  6. wait Wait for page to load.
  7. click Scroll down until you come to the DVDs.
  1. type Start typing "Amazon", hit the down arrow when you see "Amazon DVDs" in the drop-down, then continue typing "Da Vinci Code", and press enter.
  2. wait Wait for page to load.
7 seconds
  • 2 page loads
  • 5 movements (e.g. mouse to keyboard)
 2 seconds
  • 1 page load
  • 1 movement

So you can save 5 seconds for a search ... big freaking deal right? BUT ...

  • 5 seconds per search x 12 searches a day = 1 minute per day.
  • 1 minute per day x 365 days per year = just over 6 hours per year.
  • 6 hours per year x 60 years = 15 days per lifetime.
  • Saving 15 days is just like adding 15 days to your life, therefore Quick.as will increase your life by 15 days.

* Money back guarantee. If after your lifetime has ended and you have calculated that you have not saved 15 days, please contact us in person and we would be delighted to give you your money back.

Why don't you add more sites?

Why don't you? Once you register and login, go to settings and the Search Commands tab. Here you can add your own search commands. You add a search for a specific site (using Google site search), or do more fancy technical hackery stuff and search within a particular site.

We have heaps of commands and sites that you can access from Quick.as, but if there is one that we don't have that you'd like and you think other people would like, then we'd love for you to contact us ... and we'll think about adding it!

Can I share my Quick.as site?

Quick.as public siteWhy yes, yes you can. I didn't think you'd ask? Now I can put this in the FAQs section!

If you register and login there is an option in the settings section that allows you to Make my links and search commands public. You can then choose a name (e.g. test) and voilà, your Quick.as site can be accessed at http://test.quick.as.

You essentially have your own Intranet site now! You can use it without logging in and send it to others to use, but remember it is public so anyone can access it if they guess your chosen name.

Are you going to spam me?

I haaaaaaaate Spam. That would be a ... hells NO. Quick.as - will - not - sell - your - email. Ohhh ... did that sound like Bill Clinton? To be read with the same conviction that he said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" - except we really, really, really mean it.

Why would I want to make Quick.as my homepage?

I don't know about y'all, but I am a bit of a multi tab kinda guy. I have lots of tabs open in my browser and I am constantly opening and closing tabs. Every time I open a tab, I'd say 50% of the time it is to do a search, 45% of the time it is to go to one of the half dozen or so pages that I visit regularly, and 5% of the time I look at pictures of Britney Spears go to other random sites.

Ever since I taught myself about creating web sites (nearly 10 years ago ... damn I'm getting old), I've always created my own homepage with links to all my frequently visited sites. I have set my browser so that every time I open a tab my homepage pops up ... quickly! I've always found that it is quite useful that is why I created Quick.as.

Lets compare the alternatives choices for your homepage with a rating out of 10 for different criteria.

  Quick Loading Clutter Freeness Access to Stuff Customizability Awesomeness (Average)
Blank
(Boring!)		 10 10 0 0 5.00
Google, Yahoo, MSN
(Or some other search engine.)		 8 8 7 0 5.75
iGoogle, My Yahoo, Page Flakes, Netvibes
(Or some other customizable page.)		 3 2 5 7 4.25
Company Intranet
(Sometimes can't be helped! Make your own.)		 5 5 5 0 3.75
News Site
(Local Newspaper or Google News.) 		5 1 6 0 3.00
Quick.as
(Oooo yeahhhh!)		 7 8 9 9 8.25

How To ...

How do I make Firefox load Quick.as every time I open a new tab?

Pretty easily. Install the New Tab Homepage Firefox Add-on

How do I make Internet Explorer open new tabs rather than new windows?

Very easily. Go to:

  • Tools > Internet Options
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
  • Select Settings (in the Tab section)
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
  • Check Enable Tabbed Browsing. While you are there, change When a new tab is opened, open: to Your first home page.
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
How do I make Internet Explorer load Quick.as every time I open a new tab?

Very easily. Go to:

  • Tools > Internet Options
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
  • Select Settings (in the Tab section)
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
  • Change When a new tab is opened, open: to Your first home page. While you are there, check Enable Tabbed Browsing.
    Go to: Tools > Internet Options
How do I use Quick Link Keyboard Shortcuts?
Keyboard Shortcuts display
Keyboard Shortcuts Highlights

Any time you take the focus off the search box (i.e. you click on another part of the page, or you press Tab) and start typing, a green box will appear in the top right of the screen. If you start typing (e.g. g) it will display what you type here. This box auto-hides after 5 seconds. If you want to use it again, just start typing and it will reappear.

If there are a few Quick Link labels that matches what you have typed in, then they will be displayed in yellow. The first one is selected, so if you want to go to that link, just press Enter. If there is only one match, you will automatically be redirected to that site.

Say you want to load Facebook. When you load the page, all you have to do is press Tab then type the letter f (this is assuming you don't have any other Quick Links beginning with f).

Note. Keyboard shortcuts are not case sensitive, and they only take letters, numbers, dashes (-) and underscores (_).

Just For Fun

Can Quick.as make life defining decisions for me?

Why yes it can! One of the Search Commands is 8ball. Ask it a yes/no question and it will give you an answer. You can send the answer to your friends and it will be the same ... although the Quick.as Magic 8 ball is likely to change its mind every day or so!

I can't decide if I should breakup with my girlfriend. What can I do?

Why not just flip a coin. It is a very effective technique for making these types of decision. Type in coin in the search bar to flip a coin.

Whose turn is it to wash the dishes?

So your are so indecisive that you can't choose between Rock, Paper or Scissors. Well luckily for you, you can type in RPS (or Rock) in the search bar and Quick.as will decide for you!