Ulteo, one of the most promising online desktops?

Market Explanation:
In most cases web-based desktops are just lots of ridiculous graphics and poorly designed applications that pretend to offer you what you already have on your real desktop. However, for people handling business over a secure network (say at work or in a university lab) web-based desktops seem pretty novel. For instance, in some cases they allow you to install your own set of applications. One particular gray area, more of a moral gray area, though is how anonymous your internet activity becomes while browsing through a JAVA remote-access desktop. For the most part, if you're using a computer with JAVA and want to browse a website that is being blocked by the network you can get around it with a remote-desktop since it uses someone else's internet access and processor.

Overview:
A number of web-based desktops have come and gone over the years even before the whole web 2.0 thing. Some are made of Flash while other more advanced ones use JAVA. Ulteo is one of those more advanced ones that uses JAVA and Linux. Once you sign up you get a whole Linux based OS to toy around with from inside of your web-browser. Provided with the Linux OS are a couple of standard applications like Firefox and OpenOffice, granted they are slightly dated versions of those applications.

Synchronization:
Something Ulteo just did that makes this service much more meaningful is how they now have something called the Ulteo Document Synchonizer. Obviously from the name it's a synchronization tool for editing files off of your original desktop environment, apparently you can even pick multiple desktops in case you have a number of computers that need to be synced. At the moment this particular utility is only available to Windows users.

Speed:
Ulteo is surprisingly quick especially with that dated OpenOffice 2.3. Additionally browsing the internet through the installed Firefox is a surprisingly pleasant experience. I'd even go so far as to say it's possibly faster than my own internet access. The thing I like most about browsing the internet through Ulteo though is how everything loads. Loading webpages in my Firefox browser on Windows Vista loads things in chunks so the page rearranges while it loads. However, using Firefox through Ulteo creates this nice illusion that the page loads in one fluid movement.

LINKS:
- Ulteo
- Ulteo - Document Synchonizer
- Del.ico.us - web_based desktop links

Targeted Virtual Worlds (AWOMO, vSide)

I previously mentioned a couple new virtual worlds and it's pretty clear there some big differences in the strategies pursued by each of them.

A WORLD OF MY OWN (AWOMO) - gaming oriented
To start with AWOMO is a very unique platform. You could describe it as an advanced interactive version of Gametap. With AWOMO you are able to access regular PC games without having to manage any optical media or lengthy installations (website says revolutionary streaming technology) so in many ways its just like Gametap. Visually the appearance of AWOMO actually reminds me of an early virtual world called Omikron which to some people might be an unappealing connection. So far I like what I see and the idea of this as an advanced gaming platform for accessing and networking seems like a great idea not to mention timely given the competition brought on by the consoles.

PAYMENT OPTIONS OF AWOMO:
- Pay-per play
- Unlimited-play monthly subscription

vSide - music oriented
Another virtual world with a targeted approach is vSide. This virtual world mainly consists of nightclubs, places for shopping, and music that plays constantly in the background. Don't be fooled though, the way vSide integrates music is very well done. While your walking from store to store the music will transition from station to station and a pop-up will tell you the names of the songs you heard or are hearing. The shopping aspect of vSide is probably one of the most interesting from the aspect of enjoying music. Visually the overall appearance of vSide is actually quite nice (even though avatars have a cell-shaded look which may look too childish to some) and that's where it gains relevance to someone like me. For me, the graphics and styling are what make a virtual world worth exploring and vSide does a good job. Getting started in vSide is easy and they even give money to begin with so you can get started personalizing your avatar.

Virtual Worlds (List)

Image from WikipediaJust thought I'd do a quick write up on the upcoming advances in the area of virtual worlds. Currently the one I use most is Second Life but there are some new ones that look just as good. What's interesting though is that there seems to be a lot of talk about these worlds becoming interconnected so avatars can transfer from one world to another.

VIRTUAL WORLDS:
- 9you - GTown
- Blue Mars
- Eitaro Soft - Lamity
- Football Superstars
- HiPiHi
- Kaneva
- LEGO Universe
- LivePlace
- Music Mogul
- Novoking
- Nurien
- Openlife Grid
- Planet Michael
- Playstation Home
- Second Life
- There
- Twinity
- Utherverse
- vSide

MUSIC:
- Loudcrowd
- Music Mogul
- Planet Michael
- vMTV
- vSide

DATING:
- Utherverse
- Weopia

EMAIL & SPACE:
- 3D Mailbox
- Celestia
- Copernic

RELIGION:
- Muxlim
- VivaConnect

WEB-BASED / IN-BROWSER (RANDOM VW STUFF):
- 3DXplorer
- ExitReality
- Journeys
- Just Leap In
- Kickfly
- LivePlace
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- Muxlim
- NewLively
- PlaYce
- SceneCaster
- SmallWorlds
- sMeet
- Sosauce
- VivaConnect
- Vivaty
- WebFlock
- WeeWorld
- Yoowalk

VIRTUAL-WORLD CHATROOMS:
- Club Cooee
- ExitReality
- hangout.net
- IMVU
- Journeys
- Just Leap In
- Kickfly
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- Multiverse Places
- Muxlim
- NewLively
- Onverse
- SceneCaster
- SmallWorlds
- sMeet
- Sosauce
- Taatu
- vMTV
- VivaConnect
- Vivaty
- WebFlock
- WeeWorld

SOCIAL-NETWORKING EXTENSIONS: (social-networks with virtual-worlds)
- ExitReality
- IMVU
- Kaneva
- Kickfly
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- NewLively
- SceneCaster
- Sosauce
- Twinity
- Vivaty
- vSide
- WeeWorld

VIRTUAL BUSINESS-NETWORKING:
- 3DXplorer
- Prototerra
- Unisfair

VIRTUAL TOURISM:
- Amazing Worlds
- GeoSim (example: GeoSimPHILLY)
- Google - Earth
- Journeys
- Microsoft - Virtual Earth
- PlaYce
- The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time
- Twinity

VIRTUAL WORLD PLATFORMS:
- Blink 3D
- Croquet
- ExitReality
- RealXtend
- OpenSim
- Metaplace
- Multiverse
- Near
- Ogoglio
- Simurban
- VastPark
- Virtual Heroes
- web.alive

STANDARDS:
- MetaWSS
- MOGBox
- OpenSocial
- VastServer / IMML

RESOURCES:
- 2008 METAVERSE TOUR - THE SOCIAL VIRTUAL WORLD'S A STAGE
- Virtual Worlds Management - $184 MILLION INVESTED IN 23 VIRTUAL WORLDS-RELATED COMPANIES IN Q1 2008

Yaaay! Devicescape now on Slacker devices

Image from WikipediaFor those not in the know, Devicescape is an awesome way to simplify dealing with various WiFi networks especially those managed by places like Starbucks and airports. I really don't think Devicescape has gotten the attention it deserves considering how painless it makes using different WiFi networks.

RELATED NEWS:
Gearlog - Slacker Gets More Mobile

Browser Add-ons for Google

In general it's hard to believe anybody could offer something that improves upon Google but sure enough even Google is lacking various features. Whether or not you actually value the features these add-ons offer is something you'll have to find out for yourself. However, most of these services will likely be assimilated or made irrelevant in the future.

Google Reader: AideRSS
This is a rather well integrated way of ranking the bombardment of news that floods your Google Reader. Currently Google Reader has no built-in features for filtering news, so for now this is as close as I've seen anybody get to offering an integrated solution. Another less attractive alternative is available via a GreaseMonkey script, I tried to use it but I think it required more tweaking than I was willing to put up with.

Gmail: Xoopit
I'm not really one for explaining things so you'll probably have to visit the website yourself to understand this. However in my words, it's a way of expanding the Google Mail interface so you can view photos/attachments without digging through your emails.

Google Blogger: Zemanta
Zemanta basically scans what you're typing and offers relevant news articles or links to reference sources like Wikipedia. Another thing that is pretty cool for amateurs like myself is that it helps dig up images that are fair-game or free to use.

WiMax Advancing

Source: WikipediaFor a while there WiMax seemed like it was doomed but recent developments may prove otherwise. With support from two big cable companies a satellite company and a municipal wireless provider, WiMax looks to be getting the connections it needs to survive. Among other possibilities is support from Google, however far-fetched this may be.

RELATED NEWS:
- FOX Business - Open Range Receives Financing to Provide Mobile Satellite and Wireless Broadband Service Using Globalstar ATC Spectrum Authority
- paidContent.org - Comcast & Time Warner Talking To Clearwire & Sprint on National WiMax Network
- GigaOM - CableCos Join The $3 Billion U.S. WiMAX Rescue Act
- GigaOM - Seeking Profits, MuniFi Player Now Backs WiMAX
- Wall Street Journal - Floating a New Idea For Going Wireless, Parachute Included

Sinking Tech Empires

Motorola
- Gizmodo - Letter from a Moto Insider: How Stupid Execs Ran Moto Into the Ground

Yahoo
- CNET News - Why are people leaving Yahoo?

AOL
- paidContent.org - AOL’s Sudden Implosion: On a Journey To Nowhere

Corporate Brilliance?

First example: Toshiba
Hooray they dumped HD-DVD. If only Microsoft would have used the format for their games it could have lived on even without the movie industry. It would have also given Toshiba more leverage room to deal with the issue of getting the movie industry on-board.

Second example: Dell
Both Best Buy and Staples now sell Dell mobile computers making it way easier to compare the designs to other mobile computers. Another great change is how they're sticking with the awesome look of their mobile XPS line instead of trying to come up with a new design every time, with the exception of the M1730 and M2010 confusion (those models need work or don't fit into the overall XPS line visually). As a sidenote, there are some inconsistencies on the website with regards to the XPS models because they seem to be distinguishing some as Gaming Edition versions. Isn't the XPS line supposed to be for gamers anyhow, regardless mixing the lines seems like a mistake.

Third example: Intel / AMD / IBM / VIA
Intel and AMD are both aggressively tackling the integration of GPUs with CPUs. Not only that but both Intel and AMD are also tackling the 45nm goal, on the other hand IBM is also updating their Cell chip. Another company making waves in the CPU industry is VIA (or if you prefer, Centaur) with their rather insane Isaiah CPU Architecture, it's still a 65nm CPU but seriously who cares it's a cheap powerful (it can play Crysis) processor for low-end computers.

Games for Windows a failed initiative?

For all intended purposes Games for Windows is just a clever marketing scheme for Microsoft. So far there has been no meat to anything Microsoft is offering. Games still play the same as they ever did on Windows computers making the new marketing scheme sound redundant. I mean, everyone was playing games on Windows before Games for Windows came along and so far nothing has improved thus far. Why should anyone care?

What should Games for Windows be?
- A new operating system or layer that offers improved stability and removes the background processes from interfering
- A way for game developers to offer games with a more consistent level of playability from system-to-system
- Something like Dosbox that allows users to effortlessly play old-time favorites

Web-based Gaming Development Tools

In the world of web-based gaming several tools exist but few have been big hits. To get a taste of what these tools provide check out the links below. Most of the time you're required to download a browser extension and Windows is usually always a must.

WEB-BASED GAMING DEVELOPMENT TOOLS:
- Blender
- Unity
- WildTangent

Movies and shows to keep an eye out for [list]

Image via Wikipedia

The following is a list of upcoming movies I've been keeping. Most are scifi and a couple are foreign or independent movies so who knows when they'll be available in the USA. For the big budget movies you can check out FirstShowing to see release date information.

SHOWS:
- Americatown
- Outcasts
- Red Mars
- Starjackers
- The Diamond Age
- The Prisoner
- Trenches
- Venus Rises
- Viper's Creed

SHOWS OUT NOW:
- Blank Slate
- Californication
- Chuck
- Clone Wars
- Caprica
- Defying Gravity (DISCONTINUED)
- Dexter
- Dollhouse (DISCONTINUED)
- Fringe
- Gemini Division
- My Own Worst Enemy (DISCONTINUED)
- Sanctuary
- Stargate Universe
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (DISCONTINUED)
- The Middleman (DISCONTINUED)
- True Blood
- V
- Virtuality
- Warehouse 13

UPCOMING MOVIE / SERIES CONTINUATIONS:
- Austin Powers 4
- Batman: Worlds Collide
- Blade Runner 2
- Cloverfield 2
- Constantine 2
- Escape from Planet Earth
- Escape of the Living Dead
- Ghost Rider 2
- Ghostbusters 3
- Hancock 2
- I Am Legend 2
- Indiana Jones 5
- Iron Man 3
- Jumper 2
- Jurassic Park IV: The Extinction
- Mad Max 4
- Men in Black III
- Mission: Impossible 4
- Mortal Kombat
- R.I.P.D.
- ReBoot (official site)
- ReBoot 2
- ReBoot 3
- Resident Evil: Afterlife
- Robotech
- Silent Hill 2
- Sin City 2
- Solomon Kane
- Spider Man 4
- Superman: Man of Steel
- Terminator 5
- Terminator 6
- The Brazilian Job
- The First Avenger: Captain America
- The X-Files 3
- Thor
- Transformers 3
- Tron Legacy
- Wanted 2
- Wanted 3
- X-Men Origins: Magneto
- xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

UPCOMING MOVIE REMAKES:
- Akira
- Conan
- Creature from the Black Lagoon
- Dune
- Escape from New York
- Fantastic Voyage
- Flash Gordon
- Forbidden Planet
- Gentlemen Broncos
- Ghost in the Shell
- Ghost in the Shell (Japanese version)
- Highlander
- Judge Dredd
- Kin-dza-dza!
- Logan's Run
- Ninja Scroll
- Nowhere Man
- Plan 9 (official site)
- RoboCop
- Skyscraper
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- The Avengers
- The Odyssey
- They Live
- Timecrimes
- Total Recall
- Westworld
- When Worlds Collide

BOARD-GAME REMADE AS MOVIE:
- Monopoly

TV SHOWS BEING REMADE AS MOVIES:
- Buck Rogers
- MacGyver

GAMES / ANIME / COMICS BEING REMADE AS MOVIES:
- Army of Two
- Atlantis Rising
- BioShock
- Blacksite: Area 51
- Castlevania
- Dead Space
- Dragonball Evolution
- Duke Nukem
- Gantz
- Gatchaman
- Gears of War
- Green Lantern
- Heavy Metal
- inFAMOUS (2010 or 2011)
- Kane & Lynch
- Lost Planet
- Mass Effect
- Metal Gear Solid
- Neuromancer
- Onimusha
- Ramayan 3392 AD
- Red Faction
- Super Max
- Tekken
- The Sims
- Warcraft
- Wolfenstein

UPCOMING MOVIES:
- 2012
- 2012: The War for Souls
- 2033
- 2081 (official site)
- 2084
- Alien Raiders
- Alien Uprising (official site)
- AM1200
- American Reaper
- Archangel Alpha (official site)
- Arena
- Assassins
- Autumn
- Battle: Los Angeles
- Black Death
- Bleak Sea (official site)
- Block-66
- Blue Lollipop
- Boogie el aceitoso (official site)
- Brave New World: Ravaged Planet
- Chosen
- City Under Siege
- Cold Storage
- Control-Alt-Delete
- Dark Fields
- Dark Swarm
- Days of Victory
- De día y de noche (Day and Night)
- Deadland
- Deathlok
- Defendor
- Depositarios
- Des filles en noir (Girls in Black)
- Devil's Crossing
- Devil's Playground
- Dirty Mind
- Dust
- El Paramo
- Exaella
- First Squad
- Future X-Cops
- G.P. 506
- Give 'em Hell, Malone
- Hierro
- Humanity's End
- Hunter Prey
- I'm.mortal
- Infected
- Inju
- Interstellar
- Iron Sky
- Kamisama no pazuru (God's Puzzle)
- Killdroid
- Larklight
- Looper
- Lost City Raiders
- Metal Men
- M.N.P.
- Mutants
- Nautica
- New Town Killers
- Ninja Assassin
- Obitaemyy ostrov (The Inhabited Island)
- Oneechanbara: The Movie
- OPENLAND
- Paul
- Planet 51
- Portal
- Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
- Radio Free Albemuth
- Rain Fall
- Red Sonja
- Road Train
- SecFor
- Shell Game
- Schrödinger's Girl
- Smersh XXI (The Interceptor)
- Solos (Descendants)
- Sorsvonalak
- Space 3001
- Splice
- Technotise
- Templar: Honor Among Thieves (official site)
- The Book of Eli
- The Chasing World
- The Colony
- The Dark Country
- The Dark Lurking
- The Days Before
- The Ditch
- The Divide
- The End of Eternity
- The Expendables
- The Forever War
- The Illuminati: Out of Chaos Comes Order
- The Last City
- The Laundry Warrior
- The Next Race: The Remote Viewings (official site)
- The Objective
- The Perfect Sleep
- The Portal
- The Power of the Dark Crystal
- The Rejection (official site)
- The Strawman
- Ubik
- Ultraviolent: The Beginning
- Uprising (one or two, not sure)
- World War Z
- Wynter Dark (official site)
- Zero Trooper F

SIDELINED MOVIES:
- Damnatus
- Halo

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Companies with Little Future Left

Here are a couple of businesses treading shallow waters.

GET WITH IT OR DIE:
- Palm
This company made some smart moves with the Centro but seriously the Palm OS and Windows Mobile OS phones are terrible. This company needs to update their designs and adopt something like Google's Android.

- Transmeta
Normally I'd support this company but recent rumors about executives paying themselves fat bonuses make me worry. What concerns me even more is how Via Technologies is offering up awesome new 64bit processors (Isaiah architecture) at the low-end that more than make Transmeta an irrelevant company with their lackluster innovation.

- Amiga
Companies like these should just become opensource organizations and forget about the commercial aspect until they can make their product competitive enough, otherwise they're just wasting people's money.

Upcoming Mobile Devices

A couple of upcoming products seem promising. I'm hoping these will be reasonably priced smartphones that give the Palm Centro some decent competition. Smartphones that cost $999 are pointlessly overpriced for the value. As for these new projects, I personally don't know enough but neither does anyone else at this point.

PRICING THEORY (THIS IS THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE):
$99 - Smartphone, MID, GPS Navigation
$499 - Ultra Mobile Computer
$999 - Mobile Computer

COMPANIES:
- Android (developer site)
- deeda
- Garmin - nüvifone
- LimePC
- Linc
- Modu Mobile
- OpenMoko (wiki)
- zzzPhone

Free useful Windows Applications [list]

DESKTOP/PANEL APPS
- CSoftLab - Interactive Calendar
- Desktop Earth
- Deskware - Desktop iCalendar
- Living Earth Desktop
- Rainlendar 
- Stardock Fences
- LCARS

GRAPHICS TOOLS
- AMD - Catalyst
- Greenshot / TechSmith - Jing
- DH Mobility Modder.net (Useful for mobile computers with ATI that only provide limited access drivers)
- EnTech Taiwan - PowerStrip (Useful for using HDTVs whose resolution isn't standard to computers)

PRODUCTIVITY
- 4t Tray Minimizer / SysTrayX
- Asus - Ai Charger
- BetterDesktopTool / PowerResizer
- DisplayFusion
- e-sushi - MiniBin (Especially useful if you decide to hide all desktop icons)
- GreenPrint
- iShadow - Virtual Display Manager
- Launchy / PhraseExpress
- jZip
- Multi Monitor Mouse
- PowerMenu
- Quick And Easy Software - USB Disk Ejector / IconRemover / Desk Drive
- SmartClose
- EnhanceMyVista Free / Ultimate Windows Tweaker
- VirtualScreenMax
- Volumouse
- WizMouse

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
- Anvisoft - Anvi Startup Booster / Soluto
- Auslogics - Disk Defrag / Defraggler
- CCleaner / Glary Utilities / Yet Another Cleaner / WinASO RegDefrag
- DriverBackup! / DriverMax
- Driver Detective (Shareware)
- Eraser
- InstallPad / Ninite
- IObit Uninstaller
- JavaRa
- Recuva
- ShellExView
- Single Click Restore Point (SCRP)
- Unlocker

COMMUNICATION
- Pidgin / Facebook Chat for Pidgin
- Skype / Call Graph / Subscription Monitor For Skype

CONNECTIVITY
- Connectify
- Devicescape
- iPass
- WeFi
- Whisher

GRAPHICS / WORD PROCESSING
- Apache OpenOffice / LibreOffice / SoftMaker FreeOffice / Kingsoft Office Suite Free
- Blender / DAZ Studio / DAZ Bryce
- GIMP
- Google - Picasa / IrfanView
- Gravit
- Foxit Reader / Nitro PDF Reader / Tracker Software - PDF-XChange Viewer
- Inkscape
- PrimoPDF
- Scribus

WORD-PROCESSOR ADD-ONS
- BrightFort - Doc Scrubber
- Microsoft - Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
- Fotolia
- OfficeTab
- OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs
- RepairMyWord

PROGRAMMING
- Intype
- KompoZer
- Sublime Text

EMULATORS / COMPATIBILITY LAYERS
- andLinux
- Android
- BlueStacks 
- LinuxLive USB / Ubuntu

VIRTUALIZATION
- Cameyo
- Spoon.net
- WorldDesk

INTERNET
- Adobe - Flash
- Adobe - Shockwave
- Adobe - AIR
- Google - Chrome
- Microsoft - Internet Explorer / Maxthon / Visual Explorer
- Microsoft - Silverlight
- Mozilla - Firefox
- Opera
- Sandboxie

FILE TRANSFER
- doubleTwist
- Free Download Manager / Orbit
- samepage
- WeTransfer

ONLINE BACKUPS
- Ditto
- Dropbox
- Soonr
- Syncplicity

SECURITY
- AVG - Anti-Virus Free Edition
- Doc Scrubber / BrightFort - MRU-Blaster
- InterGuard - Laptop Cop (30 day trial)
- Secunia PSI
- Smart UAC Replacement
- Spyware Terminator / Lavasoft - Ad-Aware

LIVE TELEVISION
- FilmOn Player

MUSIC
- Qtrax
- Spotify

ENTERTAINMENT
- Miro
- MoviePanda
- PopcornTime
- VideoLAN - VLC Media Player
- Vuze

GAMING
- AMD - RAMDisk / Game Booster / GMABooster
- GameFly Downloader
- GameStop PC Downloads App
- GameTap
- Second Life
- ScummVM
- Steam
- vSide

Google Docs Add-ons

For those you who use Google Docs on a regular basis, you might find the task of uploading and downloading annoying. So here are a couple applications that make the task easier.

TOOLS:
- DocSyncer
- OpenOffice.org2GoogleDocs
- DocList Uploader
- Google Docs Bar