Jooce - Challenging Facebook and WebOS Naysayers
Jooce is a new Flash-based WebOS product from France, currently in private beta (we have invites at the bottom of this post). The primary use case for Jooce is for people who use cyber-cafes a lot, instead of or in addition to their own PCs or laptops. Jooce enables users to store, share and access their media and applications (such as email and IM) online. The company says that the 'cybercafe generation' is about 500 million people a day, so that is their target audience. Jooce has already received seed funding from Mangrove, initial investors in Skype.
Jooce launched last week, to generally positive reviews from the likes of Techcrunch and Webware. There was however some negative coverage about the use of the term WebOS, especially from Yahoo's Jeremy Zawodny who wrote a post entitled There is no Web Operating System (or WebOS). Jeremy's post essentially argued that open, simple and Web standards compliant systems are better than closed systems - by which he meant not only WebOS products, but perhaps moreso Facebook. In other words, why use a proprietary system like Jooce, when you can choose from thousands of apps on the Web. The unspoken point to Jeremy's post, I think, is that something like MyYahoo is better than a 'closed' system like Facebook -- or Jooce. At least that was the inference I took from his post. It sounds great in theory, but in reality services like Jooce do provide a useful way to access your files and apps when you're not at your normal computer - or don't have one.
Jooce Features
There's no question the Jooce UI is very slick and easy to use; and it makes great use of Flash for interactivity. As far as the apps go, the integrated Media Player is neat - but there aren't a lot of other apps as yet, certainly nowhere near what facebook offers. The company noted that initially Jooce will provide users with applications, but over time it will make its API freely available - and they will try to tap into the Flash community.
Another feature worth noting is that you can have a private desktop and a public one (a "joocetop"), that your contacts can easily view. Jooce released some screencasts this week to explain their features. This is a good introduction:
Conclusion: WebOS it is; and there is a gap in the market
The company touts one of its main features as integrating existing online services into a one-stop shop - a la Facebook. When discussing the product with a Jooce rep, I was told that rather than comparing Jooce to other WebOS products (EyeOS, YouOS, Goowy, et al), a better comparison is to Facebook. So Jooce fancies itself as a platform for widgets and other mini web apps.
But Jooce has a long, long way to go to compete with Facebook. To be frank, right now it has more in common with WebOS products like EyeOS and Goowy - who also provide apps for their users, along with the online desktop vision.
I do think there is a place for WebOS products, whether or not you believe in the concept of a desktop layer in a browser. Facebook and other social networks aren't focusing so much on file sharing. And while services like Nokia's recent purchase Twango and the newly launched iYomu enable file and media sharing, they don't focus on communication apps like IM and email. So there is a gap in the market for WebOS products like Jooce. It remains to be seen how many of the estimated 500 million cybercafe users sign up for Jooce, but it is a big enough market that it's worth pursuing.
What do you think of Jooce's chances? To request an invite - we have about 30 of them - leave a comment here with your email (not published). Update: invites all gone now
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This seems very interesting; in matter of fact there is no silver bullet for that kind of app.
Flash lets you to interact with interface in so many ways that is no possible with html/js.
I'm to beta testing account, if is not for anything else, just for professional curiosity.
I'd love an invite, it certainly looks interesting.
I'd love an invite also. Thanks
i'd love an jooce invit.I'm very intersted in jooce.
I'd appreciate an invite also. Thanks
The problem with most WebOS setups is that they have no useful applications - Jooce looks like it has a purpose; file sharing.
I think other developers should focus on building their application with a more native functionality. For example, I should be able to go to Flickr and add a "photo upload application" as an icon on my desktop (i.e. shortcut)... When I "launch" the application, it has no navigational bar and has features specific to uploading photos.
Cross-platform, desktop functionality, web application. Integration is where its at.
I would like one
Just sent the first 7 off. thks, R
Sounds cool. Would like an invite as well please.
I'd like an invite. i am French !
I would like an invite.
love an invite if you have any left
thanks
Sounds interesting. An invite would be great. Thanks!
I'm game. If you've got any invites left I'll take one. Thanks.
Hi,
Would love to get an invite if you have any left...
Thanks
I'm interested in an invite. a T d H v A a N n K c S e - Tim
I'de like a trial invite, to create a desk(jooce)top
Hi Richard, I'd enjoy the chance to check this out if you have anymore invites.
Thanks in advance
Can you send me an invite as well?
So I'm guessing the invites are all gone already. Pity, because Jooce somehow looks cooler than Facebook, and I would've liked an invite had I shown up on time. Oh well.
Real good deal. An invite would be great!
Thanks in Advance
I would like an invite if you still have any. Thanks.
This looks awsome, an invite would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I would like an invite too.
:-W
Looks great! I would love an invite.
I've emailed codes up to comment 26. I'll have to call it quits now, as sending out individual invites is a pain :-)
Here are the rest of the codes I have left. Please help yourself if you haven't yet got one:
http://www.jooce.com?i=3887284
http://www.jooce.com?i=8547258
http://www.jooce.com?i=1637967
http://www.jooce.com?i=6320466
http://www.jooce.com?i=1944963
http://www.jooce.com?i=3772009
http://www.jooce.com?i=8693802
http://www.jooce.com?i=8624816
http://www.jooce.com?i=1298317
http://www.jooce.com?i=2167186
http://www.jooce.com?i=7401352
http://www.jooce.com?i=2291899
http://www.jooce.com?i=5230382
http://www.jooce.com?i=8965436
http://www.jooce.com?i=2609450
http://www.jooce.com?i=2419421
http://www.jooce.com?i=8211423
http://www.jooce.com?i=8652063
http://www.jooce.com?i=8331293
http://www.jooce.com?i=3610363
http://www.jooce.com?i=6367673
http://www.jooce.com?i=6049692
Hi,
I Think the general problem that many Online desktops is facing is :
- Usefull applications
- Good sharing solution
- Good performance
- usefullness in generel.
What Jooce offers, is not much diffrent than from what you can get on the marked allready.
In StartForce we try to take the 4 points above with a greater atempt, we offer a fullscale office package with more to come, our Sharing extends both within the WebOS but also to sharing files using EVA (External Sharing application).. and with much more to come offcourse, performance is outstanding, and targeted at a 1ghz thinclient setup - all in all, and extensive API that users can you to create their own applications, not to mention that you can use any flash (.swf) file directly by from the desktop.
With Kind Regards
Leon Bollerup
Former ORCA CEO
Project Manager of StartForce
www.startforce.com
"I should be able to go to Flickr and add a "photo upload application" as an icon on my desktop (i.e. shortcut)"
You CAN do stull lika that already with WidgetBox apps.
(http://www.widgetbox.com)
- Just sign in at WidgetPlus and select 'install from widgetbox' under 'options', and then look in the startmenu under 'widgets', or refresh the desktop.
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seems nice. however: private beta? in that case i'd rather stick to the fabulous http://www.oos.cc