Webware

Josh and I spent a day working the Under the Radar conference last week (see all stories). Actually, Josh was working; I was onstage hustling start-ups on and off the stage. We saw about 40 business-related Web 2.0 companies. Most of them were very early-stage, so you might not want to entrust your business to them. But there were several apps that were more developed, and a few that are worth looking at even though they're not.

As I wrote after the Demo conference, I am amazed by what people are doing with Flash and AIR apps. Two apps from Under the Radar, Blist and SlideRocket, are Flash apps. Neither are available to the public just yet, but when they ship be sure to check them out.

There were a lot of good apps at the show, but we selected five that really stood out. Watch the video to learn why, in addition to Blist and SlideRocket, we picked Orgoo, Vello, and Nuconomy as our Best Five apps from Under the Radar.

The Under the Radar conference kicked off this morning with one of my favorite panels: three video and voice companies that are trying to take services we're already using and make them better.

First up was Eyejot, which we've covered several times. The core service revolves around video e-mail, although it has recently moved into other areas like Eyejot This, which lets you annotate Web pages with video clips from your Webcam (and even share them via Twitter). There's also a platform that lets site owners add video notes and mail to their service.

There are two levels of service, one free with limited storage and time-expired messages, and premium plans that add additional storage and archiving. Eyejot's CEO David Gellar says the company has enjoyed a "double digit uptake" of users who upgrade to the pro.

Gellar also noted that a mobile client for the service is not in works (at the moment). Gellar calls the mobile field a "moving target" because of hardware and network differentiations between the U.S. carriers.

Ribbit, a telephony platform that's meant to be integrated into Web applications, showed off its wares. Its application for Salesforce.com is launching next month and will cost $25/mo per user. VP of Technology Crick Waters demonstrated the upcoming interface and noted that more than 53,000 calls have been made on developer network. The coolest feature is a familiar looking telephone keypad that can be integrated into Web apps and services.

Ribbit's consumer application called Amphibian, which blends your Web presence with your mobile phone, is launching in the next few months. We profiled it back when it was announced at DemoFALL.

Ribbit's Salesforce.com app will let you call your contacts right from Salesforce. It's launching next month. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Vello, "the conference that calls you," solves a wonderfully irritating problem with conference-calling services. Instead of having people deal with special call in numbers and PIN codes, it only requires meeting creators to plug in phone numbers (from Outlook or your Web contact list) and the service will create the conference call and phone all the members. It also has a single number people need to call (1-888-Vello) that will connect you to the right conference based on your phone number.

Mark Dzwonczyk, president and COO of Vello, showed off the service live by calling nearly everyone in the room who had given their numbers up at the cocktail party the night before. The one rub is that minutes on Vello cost nearly three times the price of normal conference calls for the host. Dzwonczyk says that the company will adjust to market prices, but for now are going for large businesses that are going for simplicity.

Be sure to keep an eye on Webware throughout the day. We'll have continuing conference coverage as the day progresses.

Update: Fixed Vello's URL and and info on Eyejot's mobile efforts. For more see the comments. (thanks David)

This morning at DemoFall, we jump right in with applications to schedule and conduct meetings.

Tungle (previous coverage) is a plug-in that works with Outlook, and soon, Lotus Notes, Google Calendar and iCal. It's basically and IM client, a download that's preloaded with Outlook contacts. The other person you invite that doesn't have Tungle will get asked to join if you message them to set up a meeting. (Hmm, that could be annoying.) The company says to think of Tungle as your "private Exchange server to the outside world." We first saw Tungle at Under the Radar a few months back. The product has been simplified this time around so you can click on people's names and their availability calendars show up overlain on each other.

Vello is "the conference that calls you." Log into MyVello.com, contacts show up with phone numbers already plugged in. Just check the boxes and it calls everyone all at once. As Vello demonstrates this a series of cell phones in the auditorium start jingling all at once. If you miss the call, there's a 1-800 number to call back that routes you back in.

Tubes Network lets you share files on a PC without e-mail. It's named after the pneumatic tubes used to move docs at banks (not a "series of tubes" apparently). Using Tubes gives every file on your hard drive its own URL. So you drag and drop files into the Tubes window on the desktop. Users can also create a "Tubes" site that hosts all the photos, videos, etc. that have been uploaded. The site is private by default, but can be made public, and it's published at TubesNow.com. All the sites you've created are still available offline.

MyQuire is a project management tool that allows people to collaborate online in real time. See who's online, set up meeting rooms for live conference calls, and share control of documents. Participants get e-mails with to-do lists, meeting times and more. All the documents are viewable on the site, tasks can be added or checked off the list for everyone to see. Works for personal and professional projects, plus the aesthetic is very clean-looking.

Apprema lets business clients send collaborative e-mails. Pick a recipient and each person that is sending the note. Can add gifts to send as well: Starbucks, iTunes gift cards, and more. The gifts can be given online or snail mailed.

Prolify is an e-mail collaboration tool, so you can get stuff done even if you are checking your messages during a meeting, the company says. It lets users convert e-mails and attachments into a Prolify e-mail. Everyone on the e-mail gets access to the Prolify e-mail and the most current version of the documents. Information from the application gets sent to users' inboxes and then back to the application. Plus, it integrates with CRM applications and others.