How to make any web application look like a "real" desktop app

The advantages of web applications are many: access from any computer, no installation needed, collaboration, and the list goes on. However, there are some downsides of having your apps running from your web browser: there is no direct icon sitting in your desktop to launch the program, you can't drag and drop files to open them, the navigation browser buttons don't help you feel you are running "real" softwares.

Today, I wanted to present 3 programs that offer solutions to these issues:

Google Chrome

If you are a Windows user and is already taking advantage of the fast and innovative Google browser, you can quickly improve your experience with web apps by using a feature that is somewhat hidden under the menu. There are 2 benefits: run your app on a streamlined, non-button interface (see image) and get a desktop icon to launch it like any other program. To use this feature, here are the steps suggested on Chrome's help center

 

  1. Click the Page menu
    Media_httpwwwgoogleco_nzhty
    .
  2. Select Create application shortcuts.
  3. In the 'Google Gears' dialog box, select the checkboxes where you want shortcuts to be placed on your computer.
    • Desktop
    • Start menu
    • Quick launch bar
  4. Click the OK button.

When you double-click a shortcut icon, the web application opens in a special streamlined window that gives you as much working room as possible. Learn more about application windows.

If you don't use Chrome yet, download it here.

Bubbles

 

According to the website:

Bubbles is an application platform, based on Browser technologies. It detaches Web Applications from the classic Browser and offers them with the familiar accessibility, capabilities and always-on nature of Desktop applications.

Also Windows only, Bubbles is a software you install in your computer and allow you to add extensions related to specific apps. Among the most popular extensions are Google products such as Gmail, Calendar and Reader.

Besides the interface and alias for launching the apps, Bubbles provide 2 very handy functionalities: notifications (see above) and drag and drop ability. The Google Docs extension, for example, allows you to drag and drop an Excel file to have it open.

Download Bubbles here.

Mozilla Prism

The last program I'd like to mention is Prism, from Mozila Labs. The great thing about Prism is that it is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It adds to Firefox a very similar feature offered by Chrome, with the difference you first need to install the Prism add-on from here.

 

 

I've been using both Chrome and Bubbles so far and the experience really helps in using web apps more comfortably. Hopefully Linux and Mac versions will be added to these programs soon, but in the meantime Prism seems like a great option for non-Windows users.

Enjoy!

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Bubbl.us: simple online brainstorming tool

Need to work with different offices to create a product? Want to explore different alternatives to your business? Have to create a simple organogram that need inputs from different people? Try Bubbl.us.

Bubbl.us is a very simple but easy to use mind mapping tool. It is not a beautiful application, but if you don't care much about its kind-of-ugly boxes, this software might do the trick.

According to the site's description, you can:

  • Embed your mind map in your blog or website
  • Email and print your mind map
  • Save your mind map as an image

Bubbl.us is free. Try it here.

280slides: gourgeous online presentation software

280slides is one of the best online applications I've seen so far. The experience is very close to using an installed software. If you used Apple's Keynote in the past, you'll think this is its online version.

According to the website description, you can:

Create beautiful presentations, access them from anywhere, and share them with the world. With 280 Slides, there's no software to download and nothing to pay for – and when you're done building your presentation you can share it any way you like.

Main features:

  • Import/Export from/to Powerpoint
  • Autosave
  • Built-In Media Search: add media from popular web services like Flickr and YouTube
  • Stunning Themes

Try it now at 280slides.com


Livedrive: the first Online Storage service to offer unlimited storage!

The Launch of Livedrive is a great milestone in the direction of making real the vision of Cloud Computing. For the first time ever, users can have access to a user friendly service that allows you to store all (I said ALL) your files on the web. That means your photos, videos, docs and everything else.

The question is: how easy is it to access and use the files? Apparently, the service were setup to facilitate this job, and some of the features include: access from the iPhone or other Mobiles, integration with Zoho so you can edit your office files online, integration with iTunes, a video player, and much more.

How much do you pay for this dream service? USD 129.95 per year. Not cheap, but remember this is meant to be your full storage solution. There is a USD 55.95 option, with a generous 100 GB storage limitation. You can try the service for 30 days before committing to the yearly subscription.

Watch the demos or try the service here.

Cloud Computing definition from Wikipedia

This is how Wikipedia defines Cloud Computing:

Cloud computing is Internet("cloud") based development and use of computer technology ("computing"). It is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) as well as Web 2.0 and other recent (ca. 2007–2009) technology trends which have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. Examples of SaaS vendors include Salesforce.comNetSuite.com and Google Apps which provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.

Quite complex, isn't it? I prefer to say that Cloud Computing is the process of transferring the power of your computer to the web, but I guess this would be too simplistic. You can get the full definition here.

Book about Cloud Computing, from Michael Miller

 

I just came across this book at Amazon.com: Cloud Computing: Web-Based Applications That Change the Way You Work and Collaborate Online. Although I haven't read it, the topics covered seems to be very aligned with what we talk about at FLYABYTE.

Reviews at Amazon were not conclusive: only 2 people reviewed it, and each person got different perceptions. If you read it and have an opinion about it, place your comments here.

Unfortunately there is no Kindle version available, just paper. Uhm, not a good sign. ;-) Well, at least you can "look inside".

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gOS 3.1: a beautiful linux distribution that put emphasis on web applications

When gOS launched in 2007, it came pre-installed on very cheap desktop boxes sold at Walmart. At the time, some would attribute the g to Google, but the company positioned it at greenOS (the machines were supposed to be "greener" than average computers).

Now on it's third version, the distrubution has evolved significantly over the last couple of years and is getting ground for regular users that are not currently considering using linux. According to Good OS (the company behing gOS):

Since our debut in 2007, gOS has been praised for being the most beautiful and easiest to use Linux operating system on the market. Now with our third and best version of gOS, we have carried on our effort to create a Linux for the rest of us.

The OS really looks good. You can check other screenshots here. The good news is that minimum requirements are very basic, so this might be a good opportunity to ressucitate your old computer that is currently gathering dust. Download gOS here.

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TeaShark: serious competition for Opera Mini

In my 10 years of experience working with the web, I never saw a site's mobile version that was worth navigating. That's why WAP never took off. The experience was simply not a good one. It sucked.

Then came the iPhone and proved you can navigate a full website from a mobile phone. An it was truly game changing. But not everyone have an iPhone, so any software that might provide a similar experience is more than welcome.

And this is the case of TeaShark. Despite the odd name, this browser seems to be a strong competition to Opera Mini. According to its website:

TeaShark gives you full web browsing on your mobile phone with superb usability and performance. It renders web pages the same way as desktop browsers. No more 'mobile web', your favourite sites are the same on your phone and the desktop.

It offers: intuitive navigation, level zoom, landscape mode, multiple tabs, built-in RSS reader and more.

TeaShark is free and you can download it here. It is currently not available for BlackBerry, Palm OS and Window Mobile.