Zude Beta: Start Page on Steroids
The Beta testing trail took us to an interesting
new private beta site called Zude. This app is
deploying cross domain drag-and-drop technology to allow users to create a unique Web
presence. This development is like a 2015 version of Netvibes, or Pageflakes on steroids.
5g’s technology has enabled
perhaps the most powerful personal expression platform I have tested. Users do not need
any technical skill to essentially drag and drop their entire Web experience onto the
Zude platform. The platform also incorporates an advanced tool set, nimble enough for
experienced coders to fine tune their creations.
Note: at the end of this review, we give you a link and access code to test out this private beta.
5g and Zude
Fifth Generation Systems’' (5g) founders Jim McMiel and Steve Repetti have utilized Steve’'s decade long development of 5g to create the ultimate personal web experience. The magnitude of this vision is obvious, because 5g is developing a platform that will cross domains, allow total customization and essentially incorporate any Web media into a user’'s creation. Repetti'’s unique software combined with the FifthGen Engine in the vehicle of Zude, allow for ultra high performance integration and the simplification of complex operations. Zude is a privately funded startup based in Roslyn, New York and backed by $5 million in private funding.
What Does Zude Offer?
The most innovative tool in Zude is the cross domain drag-and-drop. I felt rather foolish after testing the interface for a few hours, before Matt Wulkan Director of Product Marketing mailed me and told me to simply drag whatever I wanted onto my pages. Beyond this great aspect of the product, Zude enables users to utilize these features:
Drop Zone Technology - Take images from anywhere; desktop, websites or viewers
Drag and Drop Wallpaper - Create wallpaper from any image and customize
Add Pages - Users can build multiple pages rather than a simple online profile
Text Boxes - Text exactly where and how a user wants it
Advanced Properties - Add borders, headers, footers, shadows and transparency to images, text and other objects
File Manager - Add Widgets and gadgets from Zude, Google, Yahoo etc. Simple drag and drop does it all without the need to write a line of code (unless you want to).
Templates - Modify existing Zude templates or create and submit your own
Tag - Everything you add is an object and can be tagged for user defined searchability
Rate - Ratings can be used to determine appropriateness, or as a measure of popularity
Community - Zude already has an intricate community and categorized content areas like music (featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence), Video, News, Business, Sports, Travel, Night Life, People and others.
What Can Zude Do?
15 minutes after Matt emailed me I had Read/WriteWeb and a whole YouTube page of surfing videos on my pages. Zude'’s home page says the service "“enhances and extends a users online presence, empowers personalization and turbo-charges creativity". Indeed Zude blurs the line between desktop application and web, for either the novice or guru. This platform has virtually every Web 2.0 tool I have tested in one form or another, and the space is fully customizable. Object oriented sites are notoriously easy to organize and this one combined this ability with unlimited content aggregation and flexibility.
Testing Elements
Initially I sized new elements via the advanced properties pop-up menus, but I found it much simpler to stretch or move them via cross domain drag-and-drop. The screenshot below renders one of my pages after I dragged a YouTube surfing video to match my template. Note the transparent pulldown.
The YouTube element is a functioning page, simply sized
Feel the Power
I decided to see if I could kidnap Read/WriteWeb, so the next series of screenshots illustrate dragging the R/WW page onto my Zude page - un-scaled and followed by the fully functional tailored version, and a pulldown I copied from the previous page. The interesting thing about this is that theoretically every one of my sites could be added as links, buttons or fully functioning pages in just about any configuration imaginable - to one page or a series of pages.
Dragging R/WW into Zude
R/WW fully sized and functional
Conclusion
There are two main elements that separate Zude from Netvibes and Pageflakes. Zude is not simply a homepage where favorites are visited and utilized, it has an unlimited depth of possible pages and uses. Secondly, Zude uses a sophisticated and fast cross domain drag-and-drop aspect to simplify and dynamically change the way people add content to their pages One really amazing thing to me is that this development is still in private beta. I can'’t wait to see what the finished product looks like.
Try it out: If you would like to test Zude, they have provided us with a link and the access code (the letters only: zudeme) to sign up. Be advised that Zude now supports Firefox and IE, but pop-up and cookie settings may have to be adjusted.
2 TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2320
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
Fifth Generation Systems’' (5g) founders Jim McMiel and Steve Repetti have utilized Steve’'s decade long development of 5g to create the ultimate personal web experience.
I thought that kind of breathless whizziness was reserved for Google projects?
It's impressive that you can do that, I just don't know if anyone really would want to.
Their logo/identity is awful!
And yeah... why would anyone want to do this?
What about copyright issues?
Is this just a mashing service?
dead link? =/
Sounds great - shame their site is down!
will be keeping an eye on these guys. again, too bad the site is down.
For those of you who ran into a glitch this morning trying to get into Zude for the first time, the site is up and running smoothly. Go to www.zude.com, enter the access code Phil provided in his posting and create your Zude account. Happy Zuding, Matt
Good Morning! Sorry about the site being down, Murphy's law and all.
Anon, I agree there was some wizziness to that segment, I think I liked Zude for you guys. If you ever catch me being light headed and giddy on a Google post please slap me though :O)
As for the who and why, I was probably not descriptive enough about "exactly" what Zude is capable of. Zude is capable of "snatching" not just whole blogs or web pages but also elements off of pages.
I think that anyone who has more than one presence on the Web, or anyone wanting to establish one would just as soon create one set of fantastic pages AND be able to access every other favorite aspect from one place.
To be honest, I had a similar impression on first entering Zude, but after getting the UI down realized this service can do whatever the site creator intends. No one's text or 30 screenshots can give you the "Readers Digest Condensed Version" of an application this deep. I should have made a screen of every site I am a member of turned into a button or widget I expect.
The true test of any site is not going to be what anyone writes about it but whether or not an individual enjoys it. Steve, go make a killer page on the site of your favorite stuff for fun! I know you have fun dad gummit. Then come back and tell me what is possible. LOL In a nutshell, it is the Web condensed to your specifications.
Phil,
ZCubes is an omni-functional browser based platform that allows users to create unlimited web pages with drag-drop simplicity. There are no downloads or coding required.
ZCubes allows users to seamlessly integrate a variety of content including entire, websites, media (photos, videos), text, RSS feeds, games, gadgets, HTML snippets from websites, an even your own HANDWRITING and PAINTING. The platform further allows the user to customize and personalize the content as desired.
Applications of the platform are numerous from personal pages for social networking to academic research, portals, greeting cards, backboard/whiteboard, photo albums or just a platform to EXPRESS yourself with arbitrary content on the web.
ZCubes has been in Beta since late last year and is supporting a significant user base with great performance, stability and scalability due to our unique patented technology.
Richard reviewed the first early Beta release of ZCubes late last year and found the technology to be promising. His review is at
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/zcubes_trying_to_do_it_all.php
The platform has come a long way since his review and I hope you get a chance to try it too at
http://www.zcubes.com
Great article Phil. It sounds quite interesting and I've signed up for the beta. I'll let you know my impressions but from what you shared I think I'll like it.
I signed up for the beta and the first impression was "wow!". But as I started using it, it started ebbing as things started giving problems one after another. Their object server, as they say, is not available for beta service. Thus only things we can add to the page were some lame news headlines from CNN rather then useful feeds from various tech sites as well as BBC. I tried to get widgets from google as well as other sites without any luck. Also tried dragging pics from Flickr w/o luck. It might be that I was the only one facing problems, If any one is able to get things working do let me know.
BTW thanks for the access code to Zude to try the beta version.
Phil,
Try out ZCubes (http://www.zcubes.com)
Drag-n-drop from Google images, YouTube, Flickr Photofeeds and a lot more. Add RSS feeds, gadgets, games. Even PAINT and HANDWRITE directly inside the browser.
ZCubes is Omni-Functional browser based platform. No downloads or coding required.
ichha, I did the same thing, you do not have to use the object templates, just open another browser and drag anything off of another web page. An object or the whole page.
Unike Z - Cubes Parag (THANK YOU) Zude can even take stuff right off your desktop with no download and is quite a but more flexible once you get used to it.
Ichha,
The CNN feed you grabbed was the default RSS feed we currently use. You can go "anywhere" on the web and grab any RSS feed, image, gadget, widget or website and drop it on to Zude. If you need anything else, feel free to email me at matt.wulkan@5g.com and I'd be more than happy to walk you through what you need for a happy Zude experience!
By the way, if you check back in the coming weeks, the Zude Object Manager (ZOM) will be posted with all sorts of amazing things you can drag-and-drop, but for now - the web is your paint and Zude is your canvas - have fun!
Matt
Phil,
Taking stuff right off the desktop typically requires an ActiveX control and so you have to be careful about security related issues. We have been looking into such a solution while ensuring we take care of such security issues and are close to releasing an ActiveX solution with some very exciting and innovative features.
The ZCubes platform is extremely flexible with more than 500 features and counting.
I'd love to keep you updated with the new developments. Please sent me your contact info if you're interested (hope you are :)
-Parag
paragm@zcubes.com
Hi Matt and Phil,
I am trying to explore the options and use help @ Zude to figure out myriad options. Will get back to you guys and share the experience.
Ichha...when you click Help, you'll also find there are some tutorials that will help you navigate through some of the things you're trying to do. I know I'd rather watch a video than read, if there's the option *grin*. We will be adding a number of other tutorials in the very near future. Have a great time Zuding...! www.zude.com/denali
I have been using Zude for about a week ... I do not know programming couldn't even figure out Myspace. I just opened two browsers one with Zude and the other I just went to the pages and stuff I liked best and dropped them onto the Zude page. http://www.zude.com/4FBA19D72618AE342029
Thanks Matt. It is sometimes difficult to express these innovative developments textually when they have so many features.
Zude is not unlike a score of other applications (me.dium, Joost, hakia, Tangler, Twitter, Second Brain or a dozen more). There is a learning curve even after testing hundreds of them and private betas have the disadvantage of being "spanking new" as well. Be patient, don't just roll the skateboard - ride it.
Like Terry says, do not try to over complicate the basic procedure. I did, and then just got frustrated and read the directions on the box. :) Drag something into a blank space either in a template or onto a blank page. Then mess with it and POOF! A web creation takes shape.
As for Z-Cubes, Richard wrote a review on that innovation which I am sure was accurate and as always comprehensive. This particlar review (party) is about another innovative service. If Richard and/or our readers want more information about Z-Cubes and any new utility, then I will be happy to spend 9 hours testing and iterating it.
Thanks for leaving your personal information Matt.
Hi Matt,
I tried the zudescape after reading the user guide and was able to utilize many of the functions zude provides. I would agree with Phil that it has that ease of use aspect and once you start playing with it, you explore deeper aspects of simple functions. I am still playing around with my zude page, and am excited about the possibilities.
Ichha
I'm sorry, but this Zude site has a horrendous website design. The tiled background really kills it for me. If they want anyone to use the service, they should probably take a bit more time to do a better job at the design.
Ichha, thanks so much for coming back to provide insight, that is exceptional of you to do so. It besoms much easier to operate if you drag in big stuff or items and then modify them.
Hi Jared, tiled backgrounds are not the norm really, you can make full backgrounds easily and the design is basically yours when you are done. The Zude elements appear to be relatively unimposing compared to most of the social media sites.
I suggest messing around a little further, as several people have approached the development in too big a hurry. We all do that out of necessity in trying to evaluate these things sometimes.
Thanks, Phil
some nice technology but not convinced on the application - prefer pageflakes.
Look pretty good. I find that I am better off to read all the comments...go back and read the post, before I try to download anything.
If you say it is good, it must be worth a look.