Webware

Kwiry, the memory-saving tool I wrote about back in December, has just put out a useful update for people who don't like to type. Users can now send photos to their Kwiry stream in hopes of digging up a search for it later. The company is hoping people will use this to catalog things they come across in everyday life, and bookmark them for later like people do with links on services like Delicious and Magnolia.

Kwiry's creators insist this isn't a photo-hosting service--just a tool to help people dig up more information about something they've seen while out and about. Up until now the service's core approach has revolved around text, either via SMS or the mobile Web. The workflow for users who upload photos is very different; instead of building up a group of searches related to what you've sent, your picture will simply sit there unless you've entered text or a note to beef up the notation. This means users must try to identify what they were trying to remember, or have their friends help them out by doing some of the grunt work for them.

To complement the idea of taking pictures while away from a computer the site has amped up its mobile offerings, with a more lightweight version of its mobile page for both standard mobile phones and Apple's iPhone. The experience is a little more dynamic than the simple SMS system that was in place beforehand--my only qualm is that if you've got an iPhone or other mobile device with a good browser handy you can simply look something up on the spot. The service's creators are hoping people will simply bookmark it for later perusal if only to provide a backward stream of searches and saved items users can come back to at a later date.

Kwiry now lets you add photos as well as text notes that you can search for later. In this case, clicking on the Yelp button on the right would let you hunt down reviews and ratings for Mama's.

(Credit: Kwiry)

Microsoft Live Labs has a new "technology preview" for you to play with. It's called Listas and it's basically a social bookmarking service for keeping track of content you come across while browsing the Web, and sharing it with others. Users can make their own containers full of all sorts of links, and supplement it with text, images, and RSS feeds using a WYSIWYG editor or by just pasting in entire Web pages from their text clipboard. The service is being billed as a way to make lists, but I think its core appeal will ultimately end up as a Web clippings service.

Oddly enough, Microsoft has had their TagSpaces service kicking around since April. TagSpaces gives users a bookmarklet to tag any item they've come across while browsing, and drops it into a giant pool of tags for everyone. Listas is clearly a more advanced effort, and one designed to handle media and collaboration a little better.

This is what a Web page looks like when it's copied and pasted into Listas. All the links and pictures you see open up outside of the service.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Similar to other social bookmarking services, Microsoft has included a toolbar to help Listas users speed up their list creation. The toolbar borrows the idea of taking entire clips of Web content from services like Yoono, Clipmarks, and eSnips. For every little bit you grab, you can assign it to one of your pre-existing lists, or add it to a new one. There are two caveats about the toolbar though. For one, it's Internet Explorer-only. Secondly, there don't seem to be any plans to give users a Javascript bookmarklet to use like what they've done with TagSpaces (something which would add crossplatform functionality). It's also worth noting that you can accomplish the same effect of the toolbar by doing a copy and paste into a list item, which will include things like pictures, links, and embedded videos (which incidentally don't play without jettisoning you off the page).

HiTask is a(really simple collaborative task management tool for small groups. Members can create tasks, meetings, reminders, notes, and birthdays to add to their own schedule or assign to others. The entire interface is drag-and-drop, and any actions by team members will instantly be reflected on your tasks page. It's a mix of a scheduling app and to-do list tool that's dead simple to use. In testing, we were making and managing several projects in less than five minutes without reading any documentation, which bodes well if you're collaborating with non-tech-savvy people.

Adding tasks to HiTask's daily schedule via drag-and-drop. Color coding per item will also show up.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Assigning tasks to other users is really simple. Once you've created a task, you can just drag it over to the group member's name. You'll get a note on the task letting you know who you've assigned it to, and as soon as they're done with it you'll be notified in real time. Likewise, when a group member assigns something to you, it will show up on your schedule, along with a note of who it's from. The one thing missing from HiTask is the option to view other members' schedules, which would be helpful--especially for gauging how much is on someone's plate.

If you do need to talk, there's a built-in chat module, which is limited to one-on-one. There's no way to group chat, or share files like you get with some more advanced group collaboration tools like BaseCamp, and activeCollab, but HiTask is pretty early in development.

HiTask has both a free and premium service. The free service reaches its limit at 10 tasks, making it little more than a demo. The $15 a year service provides unlimited tasks, group members, and projects. See the screenshots after the jump.

Related: Under the Radar Office 2.0 coverage of group collaboration tools.

[via SolutionWatch]

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