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Google has released a new module to use on its personalized homepage that retains the look and feel of its Windows-only installable chat application, Google Talk. What's interesting is that the Web-based version ends up having a few extra features you don't get with the desktop client. For instance, starting a conversation with a contact creates a new tab on the top of the interface. You can jump through these like tabs on a Web browser. It's far better system than the Google Talk application, which uses expandable horizontal bars like Microsoft Outlook.

There's also a … Read more

Tip from Scoble's Twitter: Twapper, from the 30boxes team. It's the app I was wishing I had earlier today: A mobile Web site that monitors Twitter feeds.

Why? Because Twitter's default mobile channel is SMS, and SMS is a rotten medium for reading a constant feed of trivial posts from a ton of people, which is what you get with Twitter. First of all, no one wants their phone buzzing every five seconds, and second, a lot of people have to pay for each SMS. Until now, I've been using Twitter's Web site on my … Read more

We recently covered the upcoming "Astra" version of our favorite multinetwork IM client, Trillian. In that story, we also reported that there's a Web-based version of Trillian in the works that will compete with Meebo (related posts).

We just heard that the Trillian Astra Web client is going to be much more than a Web page. As Trillian head developer Kevin Kurtz shows in a demo video, Cerulean Studios is prepping a sort-of-Web-based version of Trillian that requires neither a Windows installation nor a running Web browser. Based on Flash (but not the upcoming Apollo platform), the … Read more

Jubii is a new service that attempts to provide an all-in-one solution for Web communication and sharing. It combines e-mail, contact management, instant messaging, VoIP, and file hosting into one app. The big question is, whether combining these things together provides a cohesive solution that's better than individual Web services. In short, the answer is no.

Jubii centers around its e-mail platform, which uses a simple tabbed interface with two separate in-boxes. E-mails from people on your approved contact list automatically get sent to your private box, whereas others make their way straight to the public. Creating new e-mails … Read more

Okay, this is officially the coolest thing I've seen all week. A blogger managed to dig up a 1996 issue of MacAddict magazine that features a Mac-PC personification from the day. If you're a fan of the Apple ads, you'll love this pseudo-predecessor. Click here for the big printable version. You know, for your cubicle.

The main difference here, at least to me, is that in the "vintage" Mac/PC ad, the "PC" is actually a good-looking, vaguely Jude Law-ish character (he's got that "sinister Wall Streeter" look, it's … Read more

Mosoto is a Web-based app for Facebook, giving you a virtual desktop with chat, music, and file sharing built right in. Mosoto allows you to chat with other Facebook friends and swap photos, music, and videos using a shared storage folder from Box.net. As a service, Mosoto is meant to replace desktop applications for chatting and music.

The music player's user interface takes a design cue from iTunes. Double-clicking a song starts playing it instantly, almost like it's running off your hard drive--a good use of streaming. You also can quickly make playlists with simple drag-and-drop functions. … Read more

Here's a handy tool for close groups of friends and for families: Foonz, a free conference call service.

On the Foonz Web site, you set up your calling groups. For each name, enter a cell phone number or an IM address (or both). Place your contacts in groups (e.g., "Beer buddies," and so on) and when you want to talk to everybody in a group at once, you call the Foonz service and select one of your groups from voice prompts.

Foonz then sends SMS or IM messages containing dial-in numbers to your contacts. People calling … Read more

Starting today, some users of Yahoo Mail will be able to chat without leaving their in-boxes. Gmail rolled out built-in chatting a year ago. As Yahoo Mail, the most popular free e-mail service, follows, it could secure the loyalty of many users. Once you're set up for instant messaging, a smiley face will light up next to Yahoo buddies who are online. You'll be able to instantly invite someone to a text chat without leaving the Mail window.

Yahoo plans to gradually unveil this feature, so some users will have to wait up to three months to use … Read more

Lycos Mix is a new video-playlist creation tool that lets you string together video clips from various hosting services. The videos sit beside a live chat window based off of Lycos' Cinema technology. Casual observers can come in, watch videos, and chat with you. It's almost like a bar except a little creepier.

When you're done adding content, which is done by pasting URLs or using the Lycos Mix bookmarklet from the content's source page, you can watch, rearrange, or chat about the videos, all within the same screen. The adding process is a little arduous, as … Read more