Cloud computing is all about being able to access your data wherever you are – just drop in to a cybercafe, log in, call up Zoho, access your letters, spreadsheets, presentations etc, do some work, check emails, have a coffee – it’s as easy as that. But why not take your desktop with you? Am I pulling your leg – not this time! Let’s look at the emerging technologies called webtops.
Webtops, also known as web OS’s or Web Operating Systems, replicate your desktop in a browser window and, depending on the sophistication of the service, can provide you with everything from online diaries, email. photo albums, video libraries, word processing … the list just goes on and on – oh, and you can listen listen to your favourite music at the same time.
Inc Technology reports that DaimlerChrysler, Sabre, BMW, Amadeus, and Deutsche Bank, are revising some of their desktop strategies to take advantage of webtops, an indication that the smart SME could also benefit from a financial as well from an operational point of view.
Having said that webtops are a a resource in the making and in my view are not yet ready to cope in the corporate marketplace. Well, I would say most as Glide seems to be the most complete, but more of that later. The engines driving webtops vary tremendously and include Microsoft’s Silverlight, Ajax, flash, PHP or a combination of two or more.
Mashable lists 45 webtops but the list was compiled in 2007 so it’s a fair bet that some have fallen by the wayside while others have taken their place.
The strongest contenders appear to be Windows4all, iCloud, Cloudo, g.ho.st and Glide.
Glide comes with 5GB of storage for each free account and is split into three key modules – desktop, hard drive and portal. The desktop gives you things like word processing, email, a calendar, a photo editor, spreadsheet and a facility called The Cube which allows you to tape into the multimedia offerings from other Glide users.
The Glide HD is the filing cabinet which allows you to upload photographs, video, music, documents, RSS feeds etc while the portal is, we,, a portal to online media like the Wall Street Journal, BBC News, you get the picture.
Glide also has a desktop syncing facility which I must confess I could not get to work, but I shall revisit that when I have more time and try and kick it into shape!
Gh.os.t is a bit of a no-no for the business user as the sign up process is very juvenile with a Pacman ghost creature flitting across the screen and exploring the modules within gh.os.t does nothing to dismiss the impression that it is aimed at fourth graders! The only saving grace that I can see is that the word processing and spreadsheet facilities are linked to Zoho – oh,and there’s a clock that tells me I have three hours before I am due to meet up with friends at the local!
Still very much in beta mode but which shows the most potential is Cloudo. The interface is slick, clean and presses all buttons but then the developers are Swedish and clean line design is second nature to them. There is a huge range of skins and wallpapers but Cloudo has a long way to go in that it cannot open uploaded Word files, for example.
It is obvious that there is potential but none of these apps are ready for mainstream use. For example, all offer their own email package but none allow you to link to existing email accounts. None of the calendars allow import from standard format calendars or link to Gcal for example. It’s a shame because I started off full of optimism but the shortcomings are just too substantial for any of the webtops I have looked at to be used on a regular basis.
Does anyone have a webtop they can recommend?
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I like the look of Glide and I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for this – I didn't know how far these applications have come since I last looked when they were all pretty clunky. Still using and loving Dropbox on your recommendation.
They still are clunky but worth keeping an eye on.
I'm promise you Kevin, I will make the move to cloud computing next June before I move back to New Zealand. It's making more and more sense to me now.
Keep a diary of your cloud journey, it'd make a good guest blog.
Will do.
Kevin, you listed icloud.com, but did not review it? It supports syncing your email to any IMAP complient service, Gmail etc, and also offers your_username@icloud.com. It uses VCalendar format in XML for its calendar and also VCard for its contacts, allowing you to import any .csv contacts from most contacts software. It also supports WebDav (http://icloud.com/webdav) so you can mount its Cloud Drive as a local hard drive on any OS. It supports uploading and editing of Word Documents. All native documents within icloud is saved in XML format for easy import / export to other software
icloud also has a full community with user profiles, instant messaging with MSN, ICQ, AOL, Gtalk support and easy sharing of files / folders between users.
Apologies but I was running out of time and needed to get the post up. I will take a look at iCloud and report back.
Kevin, you listed icloud.com, but did not review it? It supports syncing your email to any IMAP complient service, Gmail etc, and also offers your_username@icloud.com. It uses VCalendar format in XML for its calendar and also VCard for its contacts, allowing you to import any .csv contacts from most contacts software. It also supports WebDav (http://icloud.com/webdav) so you can mount its Cloud Drive as a local hard drive on any OS. It supports uploading and editing of Word Documents. All native documents within icloud is saved in XML format for easy import / export to other software
icloud also has a full community with user profiles, instant messaging with MSN, ICQ, AOL, Gtalk support and easy sharing of files / folders between users.
Apologies but I was running out of time and needed to get the post up. I will take a look at iCloud and report back.
Glad to be of assistance.
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