Ever wanted to post a screenshot or thumbnail of a Web site on your blog? Probably not. But if you're like us then this situation comes up all the time. Enter SnapCasa, a service that lets you drop in a preview of any site in one of three thumbnail sizes that will regularly update as time goes on. We debated using a service like this for this year's Webware 100 winner pages, but opted instead to use static images since seeing what Web services looked like years later can be kind of interesting (see Archive.org).
The tool works by having you drop in a special IMG code into your post that links up to SnapCasa's servers. It will pull in updates to that image occasionally--with future versions providing real-time screen grabs and the option to change how big and what format you want the thumbnail to be.
Competing service Snap offers some of these features already with its SnapShots product, but wraps its live screenshots around text links instead of embedded images. I've embedded a few examples below, which should update despite this post gathering dust.
Real estate search and resource service Trulia has a new tool built by the guys at Stamen Design called Snapshot. It's built off of Microsoft Virtual Earth and shows off little clusters of homes all over a 2D map. It's been pitched as an "alternate" view of the Trulia real estate listings, but a better way to describe it is pure, unadulterated eye candy.
That's not to say it's without use though. You can sort out houses in your area by price tag, or simply when they were listed. Each house has a little photo thumbnail, and you can click on any item to take you right to its Trulia page. You can also just sit back and watch the tool scroll through houses automatically, which pop up and give you bits of information.
While I don't think this system will ever replace an advanced search that can narrow down homes you're looking for by how many bathrooms and closets each house has, Snapshot is a great way to re-create the feeling of exploration you can get by driving around neighborhoods and looking at what's for sale.
Stamen Design's previous project with Trulia was HindSight, a tool that shows you what's happened to certain areas of the world historically. While neat to look at, unless you lived in one of the places that was coded in, it wasn't very useful. This new tool is far better for people who want to use their eyes to look for a new place to live.
Check out housing listings in a really slick timeline of money and availability.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
- prev
- 1
- next
