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Keeping up with online applications

This edition of NetSpeak features a few more tools to track the latest on-line services/content.

Keeping up with the developments in the virtual world is not that easy. However, if we use appropriate tools/services, we can overcome this information explosion bottleneck to a large extent. Some such services/tools are discussed here.

As NetSepak readers would already know, many desktop applications have on-line counterparts as well. We are aware of web-based applications such as on-line wordprocessors, spreadsheets, presentation programs, statistical tools an so on. Apart from the ones discussed so far, several new ones emerge almost everyday.

Naturally, a service that updates the latest web based applications would certainly be useful. In this regard, you may find the new on-line applications directory service AppAppeal ( http://www.appappeal.com/) worthwhile. This service reviews new web based applications and classifies them under various categories like Blogging, Presentation, Social bookmarking and Spreadsheets. Blogs that feature new on-line applications like TechCrunch ( http://www.techcrunch.com/) and SimpleSparks (http://simplespark.com/) could also be meaningful with regard to the latest on-line start-ups.

To follow popular subjects (trends) being discussed on the blogosphere, try out the service TrendPedia ( http://www.trendpedia.com/). You can track past/ present popularity of a theme/subject/product as well. In addition, this service lets you compare trends in different topics/subjects.

It is likely that you publish content on several on-line services like Flicker, Facebook, Del.icio.us and Twitter. Now, if you wish to aggregate the content from your lifestream (your content on the aforementioned services) into one feed so that your friends/public can easily track your on-line activity, check out the service FriendFeed. Once your different on-line accounts are integrated with your FriendFeed account, your content from them will appear on the FriendFeed web page (like this: http://friendfeed.com/jmurali). Besides your own content feeds, you can also include other online feeds available on the Net. At the same time, other FriendFeed users can subscribe to your feed if they choose so and keep themselves updated with your online content. Apart from Friendfeed, several other lifrstream services are also in place (like Profilactic http://www. profilactic. com).

We know that RSS feeds or web feeds are the most efficient means to track content on the Web.

NetSpeak introduced the RSS based newsfeed technology almost six years ago ( http://www.hinduonnet.co m/thehindu/biz/2002/09/16 /stories/200 20916000702 00.htm).

Despite being around for the last several years, the newsfeed technology is yet to gain widespread acceptance. However, it is certainly gaining ground among savvy netizens (especially among information professionals).

If you use newsfeeds extensively to track content, try out Brief (http://brief.mozdev. org/), a feed reading extension for Firefox. The advantage of this extension is that it lets you enjoy the benefits of a desktop feed reader without having to install one. If you are a Bloglines user, you may like Brief’s interface, which is similar to that of Bloglines. Also, if you already use a feed reader, you can transfer all the feeds from that reader to Brief, using its OPML file import facility.

It is likely that you come across an interesting web article but too busy to read the same instantly. One solution is to use a FF extension like ‘read it later’ (http://www. ideashower.com/ideas/active /read-it-later/) that helps you create a reading list of ‘to read’ pages. However, this solution fails when you switch over to another machine. Readeroo ( http://www.monsur.com/projects/readeroo/), the Firefox extension mentioned in this column sometime back, could come in handy on such situations. However, to use this service you need an account with ‘del.icio.us’.

Instapaper (http://www. instapaper.com/) is yet another solution for creating an on-line list of unread web pages. This service offers a bookmarklet (Read Later) for easily adding the page being viewed on to the ‘to read’ list.

A good file recovery tool that un-deletes an erased file is obviously an essential utility for the smooth running of one’s digital life. The free software, Recuva ( http://www.recuva.com/) is a good un-erase utility worth a try.

In this context you may also view the instructional video that describes the means to restore different types (emptied recycle bin, damaged CD, formatted disk etc) of data (http://www.howcast. com/videos/680-How-To-Restore-Computer-Files). Please note that this author has not tested the tools explained in this video.

Those of you using several communication channels (like gTalk, Yahoo and MSN) and social networking sites like Facebook, may find the generic client tool Digsby quite useful (http://www. digsby.com/). Digsby lets you access your email accounts, IM networks and social networking accounts directly from it. Along with popular IM networks (like AIM, MSN and gTalk) and popular email services (like gmail, hotmail and yahoomail), you can access social networking services like twitter/facebook. When you receive a mail or twitter message, Digsby immediately alerts you.

Audio/Video content from different sources come in a variety of formats such as avi, 3gp, wmv, ogg., and mp3. Instead of using separate players to play each of the formats, a generic player, capable of playing all formats could certainly be useful. The free software, KMPlayer ( http://www.kmplayer.com/forums/index.php) that can play a wide variety of audio/video formats, is a great product in this genre.

J. MURALI

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