Social-networking savant Flock has announced a re-branded version of its browser aimed at fashionistas. At the very least, it's aimed at people who like the color pink and lipstick marks on their advertising. Called Gloss, it's a pink-and-purple themed edition of Flock 1.2 that comes with fashion-related feeds and bookmarks pre-loaded.
The Gloss rebuild of Flock shows the pinker side of browsing.
(Credit: Flock, Inc.)The list of baked-in feeds for the Windows-only Gloss includes Cosmopolitan, TMZ, Glam.com, PopSugar, and These Boots Are Made for Stalking.
Gloss is getting pimped as a "fun" version of Flock, although I could've sworn that Flock received the same PR campaign comparing it to Firefox. Either way, it's hard to argue with a browser that promotes itself as a place where, "Your friends are always there--just like celebrities in rehab." It's hard to argue, of course, because sometimes it's better to just walk away. Slowly. Beyond having the topical feeds included and the new color scheme, there doesn't seem to be much of a reason to get Gloss.
Flock itself has also received a couple of upgrades. The Flock 2 beta (download for Windows and Mac) goes up another point, incorporating the Firefox 3.0.1 security patch along with other bug-fixes. The Flock people are promising a lengthy beta cycle, so expect there to be at least one more update.
The official version of Flock (download for Windows and Mac) also gets a bump up, addressing bugs and security holes fixed in Firefox 2.0.0.16. Again, no major roadwork going on here, but it's definitely a good idea to upgrade to ensure that old exploits don't cause you grief.
The latest Flock update for Windows and Mac introduces more services to its ever-growing list of options, as well as a battery of performance and stability enhancements.
Most notably, Pownce and Digg have been integrated as people services. If you're not familiar with the self-styled "social browser," this means that you can perform all Digg- and Pownce-related chores--sorry, that should be "tasks"--from within the browser's social-networking features. Support for AOL Webmail has also been added, letting you check that account as easily as your Gmail account.
There's still a long list of known bugs that Flock has documented as in need of a fix.
Since Flock is a fork of the Firefox code that's been around for about a year, it will be interesting to see if future Flock updates attempt to integrate any Firefox 3 improvements or if they're going to pick their own migration pattern.
AOL released a couple of upgrades to its Webmail app today--they're not in the regular program yet, but if you're a desperate AOL junkie who wants to check them out, the new features can be tested on its beta site.
I gave the beta a brief spin, though I must say I haven't used AOL Webmail enough to really be able to compare it to anything. (I had to use my leftover screenname from AOL's early days to access it, and let's just say I haven't used AOL mail much since 2001.) The updates are basically for the purpose of making the program more user-friendly: a new, simplified interface that leaves more room for the e-mail content itself, no pop-up windows for new mail messages, and smoother running times. And like in Gmail, instant messaging is (somewhat) integrated into the mail client. You can see which of your contacts are online, but in order to IM them you have to be transferred to your instant-messaging software. Plus, there's a TMZ.com feed, because obviously every AOL Webmail user needs to have access to celebrity gossip at all times.
It looks all right. It's not going to make anyone switch to AOL Mail from Gmail or Yahoo, but it might prevent some AOL users from doing the reverse.
The beta version of AOL Webmail, for the record, is codenamed "Cayman." I'm not sure what the codename protocol is over there, but those out-of-the-blue nicknames have always puzzled me. I dare them to codename their next product with a friendly moniker that doesn't echo of big-money tropical island getaways. You know, like "Kittens." Or "Muffins." Come on, AOL's had worse ideas than that.
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