WebTops is where all the action is
Browser-based applications, also popularly known as Webtops, are where all the current action seems to be. Typically done by a very small team of developers, they are giving a run for money to much larger players. These WebTops can run almost as seamlessly as programs used on the desktop, with a rich interface, embedded audio, video, and drag-and-drop ease of use. Most of them are developed using Ajax, Flash RIA or Ruby on Rails.
Goowy is one such product, it is your personal webtop with following services.
* IM with your buddies from aol, msn, yahoo and icq
* Upload, manage and share your files online (1GB FREE)
* Manage your email, contacts and calendar (2GB FREE)
* Organize your web data with a personalized start page
* Play games
Do you think Webtops are the future ? What's your favorite Webtop ?
A new webtop has appeared developed by a company called Sapotek (based in NYC with offices in Mexico). The webtop is called Desktoptwo (http://desktoptwo.com) and I believe it is the best of the web-based desktops. I met the CEO at a tech meetup here in NYC and he explained to me that they will continue to develop the desktop and ultimately go open source (publish their APIs) with the hope that it can provide the foundation for the network OS of the future. The CEO is a very nice guy and Desktoptwo is really fantastic. I think his dreams will come true soon enough.
Sanjay