webware

Site: Present.ly Category: Editors' Choice, Best Twitter Rip-off

Everyone wants to build a better Twitter. Or at least a profitable version of it. The best microblogging service other than the original is Present.ly, a microblog service for businesses. Present.ly launched with features that Twitter still lacks for business users. It lets users attach files, for example, and set up groups easily, which is great for teams.

Also, Present.ly is available as installable software, as well as in a hosted service. That means that all those paranoid IT managers who want to make their teams happy by … Read more

Site: Adobe.com/products/air Category: Infrastructure & Storage

Adobe's AIR platform lets users on multiple computing platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) use the same applications. Because the runtime platform is identical, developers can focus on making one version of that product, and making it well.

Since launching to developers in early 2007, there are now more than 500 applications for the runtime, many of which go in tandem with existing Web services. AIR has also allowed developers to make hybrid applications, or desktop tools that can integrate with various Web services, while still allowing some offline functionality that Web … Read more

Site: Search.twitter.com Category: Editors' Choice; Look out, Google

Twitter itself is fun. Twitter Search, though, is another thing entirely. Twitter Search provides real-time search results on timely issues and news that even Google can't touch. It's this feature, not the Twitter social network, that could end up being Twitter's true path to revenue, as well as the feature that knocks Google off its peg as the master of all search.

Even Google execs have acknowledged that dealing with real-time search is one of the company's most important challenges. Twitter has stuck a pin in … Read more

Site: Cuil and Mobile Me Category: Editors' Choice, Failure to Launch

A lot of Web services fizzle on launch. The "beta" label often provides a line of defense against launch hiccups. But every now and then companies overhype new products that simply aren't close to ready for prime-time launch. The two big winners of the Failure to Launch award for this Webware 100 are, clearly, Cuil and Mobile Me.

Cuil as launched as a competitive search engine to Google, built by ex-Googlers. Early demos looked good, but when the site actually opened to the public, it was … Read more

Site: Skydrive.live.com Category: Infrastructure & Storage

Windows Live SkyDrive is Microsoft's free Web storage service. Users get 25GB of space in the cloud where they can safely keep their files, and they can log in to access those them with their Microsoft Live ID.

One of the things that makes SkyDrive neat is the desktop integration. Windows users who are running Internet Explorer can run a special SkyDrive-specific ActiveX control that lets them drag and drop files from their desktop to upload to their Web storage. SkyDrive is also beginning to be integrated into other Windows Live … Read more

Site: GoodGuide Category: Editors' Choice, Best Newcomer

We created the Editors' Choice awards for products like this: Small and relatively unknown products that demonstrate real leadership, but that don't yet have enough traction to win in the user vote part of the Webware 100.

GoodGuide is a product recommendation system focused on "safe, healthy, and green products." It will tell you what chemicals are in your toothpaste, or if your socks are made with sweatshop labor.

The company's real value add is in acquiring the data on the products. There's an iPhone app for the … Read more

Site: Developers.facebook.com/connect.php Category: Infrastructure & Storage

Facebook Connect is a login platform that lets users sign into sites or services that aren't Facebook, with their Facebook credentials. This means they can enjoy most or all of the benefits of being a registered user for that service, without the need to sign up and provide things like e-mail addresses, or any other personal information. Instead, that log-in is going through Facebook, and the user has controls over what that site can do all in one place.

Since opening up in late 2008, Facebook Connect has been … Read more

Site: Aviary Category: Editors' Choice, Technical Achievement

Aviary started as a photo editor built into a browser, but since we first covered the app its developers have rolled out a vector editor, a color palette editor, and a tool for creating visual effects. All are delivered through Flash apps in a Web browser. The apps force you to reconsider ever using traditional software again.

The Aviary team also built in unique collaboration dn remixing tools, so artists can lend and borrow graphics and maintain intellectual property rights in the process.

Site: Amazon Web Services Category: Editors' Choice, Start-up's Friend

How can a bunch of kids in a garage create a Web service that half the people on the planet can use at once? By running their app on the cloud computing platform from Amazon Web Services instead of on their own servers.

Amazon Web Services, a collection of services include a computing engine, a database, and storage services, were created to be easy to provision (set up), and to scale as needed. The real benefit is that the developer doesn't pay for services delivered until they are. So … Read more