Filed under: Developer, Internet, Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

There has been a lot of buzz about Data Portability with newcomers like Facebook and Plaxo joining, but you might still be wondering what exactly all this means in the massive picture. Well, Michael Pick of Smashcut Media has been kind enough to create a little piece that attempts to put everything into perspective and what the Data Portability movement is about.

If we’re granted to take one random stab at what’s in store for the future, this is probably going to be the first major component of Web 3.0. Since it looks like a lot of barriers that prevent users from integrating services will be removed, the focus will continue to shift towards content and usability. Chances are good that this is going to really bring in the competition - start-ups will find it easier to acquire new users and the large dogs will have to fight harder to hold on to them.

Since we’re not professional fortune tellers, this is just a hunch. But it’s probably going to take at least another year before we see Data Portability living up to any of its promises.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

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Filed under: Internet, Windows, Productivity

Recently, we told you about some ways to organize and manage your Firefox bookmarks, and one of our readers asked for similar suggestions to use with World wide web Explorer. Since we want Michael and our other IE-using friends to loved too, we put together a few ideas for you.

Favorites Box lets you add extra attributes to your bookmarks to make them easier to find and organize. Add comments, categories, tags, or login information or even set up a reminders. This one’s free to try, but sets you back $19.95 if you want to keep it.

Favorites Finder is a free extension that adds keyword functionality to your bookmarked sites so you can access them in just a couple of keystrokes. Just type a few letters of the site you’re looking for and Favorites Finder will search your bookmarks and find all the matches, including whatever’s in your folders.

Power Favorites is a slick tiny extension that merges bookmarks from IE, Opera, and Firefox, then syncs them across multiples computers. You can annotate each bookmark with notes and tags, then view them by tag list or tag clouds. (Tag clouds? Are you listening, Foxmarks?) Power Favorites has a 30-day free trial, then it’s $19.95.

When you finally decide to winnow down that super-long list of Favorites you’ve accumulated over the past two years, it’s a pain to have to check each bookmark to make sure the site still exists. Use the free tool Favorites Inspector instead. It will plow through your whole list for you and alert you to any “404 error” pages so you can delete those Favorites instead of filing them.

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Filed under: Developer, Internet, Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

There has been a lot of buzz about Data Portability with newcomers like Facebook and Plaxo joining, but you might still be wondering what exactly all this means in the large picture. Well, Michael Pick of Smashcut Media has been kind enough to create a tiny piece that attempts to put everything into perspective and what the Data Portability movement is about.

If we’re allowed to take one random stab at what’s in store for the future, this is probably going to be the first major component of Web 3.0. Since it looks like a lot of barriers that prevent users from integrating services will be removed, the focus will continue to shift towards content and usability. Chances are good that this is going to really bring in the competition - start-ups will find it easier to acquire new users and the large dogs will have to fight harder to hold on to them.

Since we’re not professional fortune tellers, this is just a hunch. But it’s probably going to take at least another year before we see Data Portability living up to any of its promises.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

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Filed under: Products and services, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Microsoft (MSFT), Marketing and advertising, Technology

Microsoft is looking to revolutionize the way grocery stores are able to communicate with their shoppers. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is rolling out MediaCart consoles later this year that will let grocery stores send advertisements to consumers depending on where they’re located in their stores.

The basic concept behind the new MediaCart consoles is that users are able to log into a website from their home, enter a shopping list, and have that list waiting for them on a shopping cart when they get to the store. The first of these mediacarts will be in ShopRite supermarkets on the East Coast later this year. For shoppers that have a ShopRite loyalty card, they will be able to get online at home and enter their shopping lists. Once they hit the stores, they’ll then be able to swipe their cards into the MediaCart, and their list will magically appear.

The carts will be able to keep track of items as they are gathered and will even keep track of the consumer’s running bill as well as give them the option to pay for their merchandise without having to wait in the checkout line. I’m not really sure how this would work with weighed items such as produce, but I’m sure Microsoft has thought of this as well.

Where it gets really interesting is that the carts will use radio-frequency identification to keep track of where the cart is located inside the store. With this knowledge, the console will be able to serve up advertisements to shoppers based on their location. Pretty nice idea I think. Suppose you’re walking down the salad dressing aisle… the device could show you advertisements of which brands are on sale.

MediaCart will also be able to store consumers’ past buys in order to send them targeted advertisements the next time that they go shopping.

We’re definitely a culture that’s submerged in advertisements. Everywhere you look you are hit with ads… TV, radio, websites, billboards… everywhere. I guess it only makes sense that our shopping carts should join the list of advertising outlets. After all, you can’t find a much more targeted group of shoppers to serve up a milk ad to than one presently standing in front of the grocery store cooler.

[photo : yananine]

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last four years working as an analyst for the on the web investment advisory service Investor’s Observer

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Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Apple

WebEx, one of the premier providers of web-conferencing software, has announced that their desktop sharing software is available for Apple’s OS X operating system. Personal computer users have long known the advantage that WebEx provides - being able to share desktops for on the internet meetings, product presentations, and joint collaboration.

Just in time for MacWorld, WebEx has announced that they’re expanding their product offering and going cross-platform. Using their new OS X client, you can easily conference PC-to-PC, PC-to-Mac, Mac-to-PC, or Mac-to-Mac. Enterprise users will be particularly fond of this added functionality.

To get started, head over to WebEx’s Mac page and download the 30-day trial of WebEx PCNow. After installing the WebEx Mac client, you’ll be connected to your home personal. Another great feature is the use of 128-bit encryption that’s also firewall friendly. For those of you who want to keep an eye on the office or home, you can utilize Remote Webcam Streaming.

Head on over and give WebEx for OS X a shot.

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Filed under: Internet, Windows, Productivity

Recently, we told you about some ways to organize and manage your Firefox bookmarks, and one of our readers asked for similar recommendations to use with World wide web Explorer. Since we want Michael and our other IE-using friends to loved too, we put together a few ideas for you.

Favorites Box lets you add extra attributes to your bookmarks to make them easier to find and organize. Add comments, categories, tags, or login information or even set up a reminders. This one’s free to try, but sets you back $19.95 if you want to keep it.

Favorites Finder is a free extension that adds keyword functionality to your bookmarked sites so you can access them in just a couple of keystrokes. Just type a few letters of the site you’re looking for and Favorites Finder will search your bookmarks and find all the matches, including whatever’s in your folders.

Power Favorites is a slick little extension that merges bookmarks from IE, Opera, and Firefox, then syncs them across multiples personal. You can annotate each bookmark with notes and tags, then view them by tag list or tag clouds. (Tag clouds? Are you listening, Foxmarks?) Power Favorites has a 30-day free trial, then it’s $19.95.

When you finally decide to winnow down that super-long list of Favorites you’ve accumulated over the past two years, it’s a pain to have to check each bookmark to make sure the site still exists. Use the free tool Favorites Inspector instead. It will plow through your whole list for you and alert you to any “404 error” pages so you can delete those Favorites instead of filing them.

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Filed under: Developer, Internet, Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

There has been a lot of buzz about Data Portability with newcomers like Facebook and Plaxo joining, but you might still be wondering what exactly all this means in the huge picture. Well, Michael Pick of Smashcut Media has been kind enough to create a little piece that attempts to put everything into perspective and what the Data Portability movement is about.

If we’re granted to take one random stab at what’s in store for the future, this is probably going to be the first major component of Web 3.0. Since it looks like a lot of barriers that prevent users from integrating services will be removed, the focus will continue to shift towards content and usability. Chances are good that this is going to really bring in the competition - start-ups will find it easier to acquire new users and the huge dogs will have to fight harder to hold on to them.

Since we’re not professional fortune tellers, this is just a hunch. But it’s probably going to take at least another year before we see Data Portability living up to any of its promises.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Read

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Filed under: Developer, World wide web, Productivity, Social Software, web 2.0

There has been a lot of buzz about Data Portability with newcomers like Facebook and Plaxo joining, but you might still be wondering what exactly all this means in the massive picture. Well, Michael Pick of Smashcut Media has been kind enough to create a little piece that attempts to put everything into perspective and what the Data Portability movement is about.

If we’re allowed to take one random stab at what’s in store for the future, this is probably going to be the first major component of Web 3.0. Since it looks like a lot of barriers that prevent users from integrating services will be removed, the focus will continue to shift towards content and usability. Chances are good that this is going to really bring in the competition - start-ups will find it easier to acquire new users and the huge dogs will have to fight harder to hold on to them.

Since we’re not professional fortune tellers, this is just a hunch. But it’s probably going to take at least another year before we see Data Portability living up to any of its promises.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Read

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Filed under: Internet, Windows, Productivity

Recently, we told you about some ways to organize and manage your Firefox bookmarks, and one of our readers asked for similar suggestions to use with Internet Explorer. Since we want Michael and our other IE-using friends to loved too, we put together a few ideas for you.

Favorites Box lets you add extra attributes to your bookmarks to make them easier to find and organize. Add comments, categories, tags, or login information or even set up a reminders. This one’s free to try, but sets you back $19.95 if you want to keep it.

Favorites Finder is a free extension that adds keyword functionality to your bookmarked sites so you can access them in just a couple of keystrokes. Just type a few letters of the site you’re looking for and Favorites Finder will search your bookmarks and find all the matches, including whatever’s in your folders.

Power Favorites is a slick tiny extension that merges bookmarks from IE, Opera, and Firefox, then syncs them across multiples personal. You can annotate each bookmark with notes and tags, then view them by tag list or tag clouds. (Tag clouds? Are you listening, Foxmarks?) Power Favorites has a 30-day free trial, then it’s $19.95.

When you finally decide to winnow down that super-long list of Favorites you’ve accumulated over the past two years, it’s a pain to have to check each bookmark to make sure the site still exists. Use the free tool Favorites Inspector instead. It will plow through your whole list for you and alert you to any “404 error” pages so you can delete those Favorites instead of filing them.

Permalink

Share This

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Filed under: World wide web, Productivity, Apple

WebEx, one of the premier providers of web-conferencing software, has announced that their desktop sharing software is available for Apple’s OS X operating system. Computer users have long known the advantage that WebEx provides - being able to share desktops for on the internet meetings, product presentations, and joint collaboration.

Just in time for MacWorld, WebEx has announced that they are expanding their product offering and going cross-platform. Using their new OS X client, you can easily conference PC-to-PC, PC-to-Mac, Mac-to-PC, or Mac-to-Mac. Enterprise users will be particularly fond of this added functionality.

To get started, head over to WebEx’s Mac page and download the 30-day trial of WebEx PCNow. After installing the WebEx Mac client, you’ll be connected to your home personal. Another great feature is the use of 128-bit encryption that is also firewall friendly. For those of you who want to keep an eye on the office or home, you can utilize Remote Webcam Streaming.

Head on over and give WebEx for OS X a shot.

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