Google Apps go Offline!

Recently Google implemented an offline capability for Google Apps allowing you to edit and work on your Google Apps while not connected to the Internet. Now whether you are on an airplane or just disconnected, you can edit your documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

When you login to Google Docs you will see a new icon and Offline Settings link.

Google Docs uses Google Gears, a browser extension (available for OS X, Linux and Windows), to add offline functionality. Google Docs are accessed offline by clicking on the desktop shortcut that is downloaded during the installation process.

Snipitron

The best solution to capture, share, and find aggregated Internet research is Snipitron! Since I suffer from age induced “memorylossannoyance” I don’t know for sure how long I have used Snipitron but trust me, like we said about Jott, Snipitron is one of those web applications that I could not live without.Snipitron is a web based solution that allows one to capture, annotate, and share Internet pages.

Think of a smart card catalogue system that is web based and shareable with either people you invite to share information with or with the public in general and you can start to imagine what Snipitron has to offer. Obviously I am understating the features that Snipitron provides in their offering by calling it a smart card catalogue system for web research. The smart card catalogue system does, however, provide one with a good starting point to conceptualize what Snipitron has to offer.

Snipitron users can collect and catalogue web pages into “projects” that allow not only capturing web pages (with complete page previews) but also providing a place for users to annotate and or comment on the pages that have been captured. In addition users can attach files as well as invite other users to share the research / projects that have been captured at Snipitron. Once a user has registered they are provided a number of tools and options for capturing web pages into projects. For PC users there is a downloadable application but the real power is in using Snipitron’s add-in for web browsers that allow one to simply click on a Snipitron icon to immediately add a page that one is browsing. It is effectively a tool that follows along as one is browsing the Internet and whenever you have found a page, link, and or file that you would like to save into a project, you can immediately click on the Snipitron icon and add the page to a project.

Starting Sunday, April 27th, 2008, as part of OMBNexGen’s weekly Sunday Summary column, we will be providing a Snipitron research project that will have all the pages used in reviewing the weekly Google Apps news. So to see a Snipitron research project in action simply click here! Don’t just take a look at a Snipitron project, go and sign up for Snipitron now. This is a web based solution everyone needs!

CushyCMS

Take the work out of managing content! A pretty bold claim if you ask me. CushyCMS allows you to do just that.

This is an early look into a free web-based tool that allows you to specify what can be edited by adding a class tag to pages or sections of pages. Who can edit them is controlled in the CushyCMS system by editor, then by page and then by section if desired using the administrative Control Panel. In effect what CushyCMS is providing is an online Content Management System (CMS) for web sites controlled by you.

In addition to providing online CMS management, the editing of CMS items / content can be controlled granularly by various assigned rights by user level. On the surface this appears to be a good step towards a true online CMS solution. In the spirit of our motto, the Cloud is the computer, CushyCMS is one of those products we will be taking a more detailed look at and we believe you should Take A Look too!

If anyone out there is currently using CushyCMS, let us know your thoughts and experiences!

CrashPlan Backup Solution

If you are looking for an online backup solution that offers the option to avoid the cost of online storage space, make sure to take a look at CrashPlan. Using a client side application backups can be made to some location other than where the data lives in its production state. For instance, if you and a friend decided that you would permit each other to store backup data on disk(s) at each other’s houses, you would need an application like CrasPlan to facilitate this.

Clear as mud, I know, but let me explain…

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PASSPACK - Online Password Manager

Over a year ago I wrote an article for TekByBob.com to talk about my use of the web application PassPack. Like most individuals in the technology profession my many clients with many applications and devices that I support, I have a “zillion” passwords and accounts to keep track of. Over the course of time as the number of passwords and accounts I had to keep track of simply was a nuisance. Occasionally it was even a disaster when memory failed me and I was unable to remember a client password.

I needed a password manager solution that was device independent, location independent, and beyond military strength secure. My search of the Internet turned up a new offering (new at that time) called PassPack. I signed up for the free beta offering from PassPack and my password management worries and problems have been eliminated. I have hundreds of passwords stored in PassPack (even if it were an invitation to the world to go and hack my password manager, which it is not, I am not worried as PassPack is the most secure web application I have ever used) and over time PassPack has morphed into not only my password manager but also my software serial number manger too. In fact now I store any piece of critical information such as CC numbers, bank account numbers, etc. I pretty much store anything that requires extreme security to control access to that data but ideally can be accessible from anywhere. PassPack is my Internet based lock-box!

Obviously data that is stored on the Internet has to be secure, particularly data that is along the lines of personal financial information. PassPack uses AES encryption along with technology that has a two stage security access model of both a password and a “Key” that releases the data stored from within the online vault. In addition Anti-Phishing is built in to the login sequences and can be customized by machine one may access PassPack from. A complete description of all of the security items used within the PassPack offering can be see here!

Since I was one of the early users of PassPack, I don’t recall exactly but I believe when I first started using PassPack it was in a Beta 1 offering. Today PassPack is in Beta 5 and a number of useful and well done features have been added. Perhaps the most useful of the additions to PassPack are the One Click login features as well as the Offline, through Google Gears, instance for that rare and likely never needed moment when you can’t access the Internet. Since I first started using PassPack, upgrades, additional features, and application robustness has continued to flow into the offering. PassPack is not a static Web2.0 toss up and lets see if it sticks application. This is truly a product that has the devotion and attention of it’s creators; it gets better and better with every Beta upgrade instance. (Thanks Tara Lyn Kelly and Francesco Sullo!)

Currently PassPack is free for the first 100 entries. In addition there is a very attractive offer for pre-paying an account in advance of their soon to be offered fee based upgrade accounts. PassPack is an incredible web application that easily ranks in my top five list! But I am not the only one who thinks so, PassPack has made the CNET list of Webware applications to be voted on as one of the best Webware applications available. Go sign up for PassPack today and don’t forget to click on the link to vote for PassPack as one of the best Webware applications. PassPack deserves it! Vote for PassPack here!

Online Shared Expense Calculator and Tracker

Conceived as an expense tracker for shared house expenses iOWEYOU can be used to share and track all common expenses for your shared home, office or other shared expense center.iOWEYOU is a free service for the first five users.

If more than five users are required, you can upgrade to iOWEYOU More for a one time fee of £19.99 ($39.75) which will allow you to register up to 20 users. The free version of iOWEYOU does display banner advertisements while the upgraded version removes the advertising, includes one year of premium support and other features to be implemented in the future like email alerts and monthly statements.

This online utility is for early adopters only. The feature set isn’t complete. But if you’re adventurous and need a way to track and recocile shared expenses, iOWEYOU is worth a look.

MEDIAMAX - The Online File Server

We “tekies” @ OMBNexGen are frequently asked about the best external hard drives for extra disk space. Most people are completely surprised when we answer, none! Stop spending money on hard drives and invest in an Internet hard drive like MEDIAMAX! Getting an Internet hard drive from MEDIAMAX is a no brainer especially since you can get 25GB for free!

MEDIAMAX is an Internet company that offers online file storage that is easy and intuitive to use. For PC users there is small client piece of software that can be used to assist in moving files from you PC to MEDIAMAX. For those of us who are real tekies and use MACs, you really don’t need the client. To move files either up or down from MEDIAMAX all you have to do is drag and drop files onto a load screen and away they go.

MEDIAMAX provides all kinds of help screens to assist in getting files loaded and or downloaded. In addition they have organized the web application in a fashion that helps organize files by types and use. There are premium services that can be purchased for things like increased monthly disk space, additional bandwidth per month for loading files, and services to have shared files that can be used to exchange files with whomever you would like.

Buying any more external hard drives is crazy! They don’t really lend themselves to being truly external / portable. Worst of all to really be safe you have to buy two, one to store your data on and one to be the backup of the other. Hard drives are going to fail and they are going to make life miserable when they do fail. Go to MEDIAMAX today and get your own online hard drive!

MOZY On Line Backup Service

Looking for a solid on-line backup service, make sure to take a look at the product offerings from MOZY. Offering backup solutions for both PCs and MACs MOZY employs a relatively small downloadable and locally executed backup agent. MOZY can backup virtually any file / data type on your local system. Best of all the backup data is stored on the Internet and hence can be retrieved from anywhere.The MOZY offering comes in two flavors: There is the MOZYHome edition which is inexpensively priced @ $4.95 per month for unlimited backups and there is the MOZYPro edition which is for virtually any sized organization. Pricing for MOZYPro is $3.95 per system license and an additional $.50 per GB per month for storage space.Next month we will be providing a complete review of both the MOZYHome and MOZYPro editions based upon real home life and real business implementations of the two product offerings. In the mean time make sure to browse on over to MOZY and check out the offerings for yourself!