Double Vision (download) is the latest tool for people who don't like doing work while at work. This small piece of software lets you casually surf the Web inside of other programs, then hide the window with a simple keyboard shortcut.
The browser itself is just a reworked version of Internet Explorer, although it won't import any bookmarks from there. You can, however, enter in any Web address, or pick from a small selection of sites from Double Vision's content portal.
What makes the software so special is that you can control the transparency of the browser window and continue to interact with whatever application it's partially blocking out. This is useful for keeping an eye on your e-mail inbox or IM window while surfing somewhere else. The makers of Double Vision are pushing it as a simple way to watch how-to software videos while using the software (note: this excuse only works if you have one monitor).
Transparency isn't Double Vision's only forte; it's got a few other tricks. For instance, you can cut out a specific part of a page just to get at the content. This is especially helpful when visiting YouTube since you can pull out the player and move it to a less conspicuous part of your screen while watching. Hitting the "boss" button combination will also cut out any sound from that video when it's not the front-most application.
This reminds me quite a bit of a now-defunct site called Workfriendly.net, which would skin Web sites to look like a Microsoft Word document. With Double Vision, you'd simply be able to keep working in Word while enjoying the very best of ninja cat.
See also: Ghostzilla
8apps is a suite of Web-based collaboration applications. It's got the look and feel of a site made for casual users but is aimed at small groups who need a place to get business and social networking done in the same place.
Right now there are only three applications to play around with, (Handshake, Orchestrate, and Blueprint) but five more are due out by this fall. The eventual goal is to have eight applications that can be used and managed from one place, kind of like what you get with Zoho's offerings, but more experimental.
Orchestrate and Blueprint both fall under the category of productivity. Orchestrate is an easy-to-manage creation tool for to-do lists. Users can create and edit a series of to-do lists, color code them, and even share them with other 8apps contacts (more on that later). It's pretty easy to use and can handle many different lists at once. Blueprint is a brainstorming tool similar to what you'd get with a white board and some post-it notes. Users can add comments, keywords, and live URLs to the board, although only the owner of the Blueprint can maneuver them around the virtual canvas.
Handshake is 8apps' social-networking application. It lets you make a personalized profile, browse users, and join groups. Each group has its own message board, but that's about it. I'd like to see some event management implementation, so groups can link their Orchestrate or Blueprint projects to the group.
Once you've got a few contacts on 8apps, it's easy to add them to your Orchestrate and Blueprint projects. There is, however, no way to add non-8apps users to your projects as guests--something I think most people would find quite useful.
8apps is fast, slick, and simple. I like where this idea is going, as working on projects with other people from different geographical locations often means using public computers or machines that might not have the right software. That being said, it's still a little ways off before I'd use it instead of 37signals or Zoho for my collaborative needs. 8apps is in private beta. We've got 15 beta invites to give out. If interested, leave your e-mail in 'you(at)mail.com' style in the comments.
[via Museum of Modern Betas]
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
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