In January, 20 million people were accessing Facebook on their mobile phones. By September, that number had more than tripled to a whopping 65 million mobile users. As the company continues to upgrade the mobile user experience, the rate of content generation appears poised for unlimited growth. To test the redesigned mobile site visit touch.facebook.com.

We don't know much about the upcoming OS from Google, Chrome OS, so most of the news we read about it involves speculation or, sometimes, rather terrible attempts at faking some supposedly official screenshots. However, we recently stumbled on a tidbit of actual news that proves how tightly integrated the Google Chrome web browser will be with the operating system. Of course that makes sense - it is called "Chrome OS" - but it makes us wonder if Google will be required to support other web browsers on their new platform? After all, it's one thing to integrate your own browser with your OS (as Microsoft does with IE) but it's another thing to not even offer a choice. What will Google do? Will they go the "evil" route?

That's as much as we know for sure, but what is not clear is exactly how this SSO option will be presented to the user. We wouldn't be a bit surprised to see you logging into your computer with your Google account the way you log into your Mac or Windows PC using a set of credentials you create during the setup process. However, in Google's case, it's easy to imagine a more web service like prompt on the login screen. For example: "Create a Google account" / "Already have a Google account? Sign in here." Perhaps there will even be a "Remember Me" option so you don't have to log in again, you just flip the netbook's lid open. Of course that's all speculation, but it seems logical.

Will Chrome OS Offer Browser Choice?

The real question here is whether this SSO option will only work with the Chrome web browser which comes pre-installed on the new OS. Obviously, Chrome OS will push people to use Google's own browser, but will it be your only option? What if you really want to use Firefox because you've discovered you can't live without your add-ons and Greasemonkey scripts? Will Chrome OS's sign-in manager support that alternative? Will it - gasp - support IE8? What about Opera? Safari?

Microsoft has come under fire for "bundling" their web browser, Internet Explorer, with their operating system. In fact, the issue has led to the European Union's requiring that the company offer a "select your web browser" ballot screen in the Microsoft's new OS, Windows 7, due out this October. It would seem odd if Google could get away with not just bundling, but actually not even allowing another browser to install.

Although Google hasn't come out and said that will be the case, they've made no mention of how browser alternatives will be handled. In fact, when describing how their OS works, Sudar Pichai, VP Product Management and Linus Upson, Engineering Director, wrote: "the software architecture is simple -- Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel." (In this case, "Google Chrome" refers to the web browser, not the OS. Oh, how we wish they had named them differently!)

What that means is that the very architecture of the OS depends on tight Chrome browser integration. While this is a revolutionary concept for building the OS of the future, to say the least, it begs the question: will Google get away with this? And finally, should they be allowed to?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

1. Jolicloud

The netbook OS getting the most buzz today is one that doesn't scream "I'm a Linux distro!" Instead, Jolicloud's internet OS provides easy access to all your favorite applications whether those are online apps like Gmail and Facebook or desktop apps like Skype and Boxee. A bar at the top tracks all the applications you're currently running for easy switching between them. However, the most unique element to this netbook OS is the social component which lets you "subscribe" to other Jolicloud users so you can see what applications they've installed and vice versa. Jolicloud is still in private alpha, but those who signed up to try it are starting to receive their invites now. You can request one too from the Jolicloud home page.

2. gOS's Cloud 1.0

Most people remember gOS as the distro that tried and failed to make it big by way of a deal with Walmart. The company was the pre-installed OS for the low-end Everex machines sold at the American superstore. But that failure shouldn't count gOS out of the running just yet. For one thing, the Everex machines were boring, cheap desktop computers sold without monitors. Plus, the Walmart shoppers...well...let's just say they probably didn't know what they were getting into. While the original gOS is still available for download today, we're more intrigued by the company's upcoming Cloud 1.0, an OS optimized for notebooks. This new version boots straight to a web browser (one that looks just like Google Chrome, in fact). Cloud is supposed to go into private beta this year. You can sign up here to be one of the first to try it.

3. Moblin 2.0

Moblin 2.0 is a netbook OS which is publicly available right now. Designed for Intel Atom-based netbooks, this Linux distro focuses on aggregating your social networking activity and media content. A dynamic start page called the "Myzone" is the centralized area where you can get instant access to files, tasks, your calendar, updates from your social networks, and more. Unfortunately though, when it comes to social networks, only Twitter and Last.fm are supported at this time. If you're not sure if Moblin is right for you, there's a "test drive" available as a downloadable live image. Once you're ready to install it for good, you can grab the full download.

4. Ubuntu Netbook Remix

The Ubuntu Netbook Remix is a netbook-friendly version of one of the most popular Linux distros, Ubuntu. This OS features a customizable Ubuntu Mobile Edition (UME) Launcher which basically serves to replace the desktop for easy access to applications and system settings. Categories on the left display related icons when clicked and a "Favorites" category lets you store your most frequently used applications for quick launching. Remix also offers a unique window switcher which lets you move between programs similar to how you switch between tabs in your web browser. This version of Linux is available for download now from here.

5. Google Chrome OS?

We can't help but put Google Chrome OS on this list. Although the OS isn't actually a product yet, only an announcement, we're incredibly excited to see what Google comes up with for their first real launch into the OS market (Android notwithstanding). All we really know about this Linux distro is that Google aims to build a real "cloud OS" where web applications run in the company's Chrome web browser. We also know that their goals include a fast boot time to get you on the web quickly and an OS which is safe from malware and viruses. But what we don't know about Chrome OS could fill a room. According to Google, this OS will make its debut in the second half of 2010. We're not sure if we can stand the wait.

The creators of Firefox had the sense to realize that their uphill battle against Microsoft's IE was not going to be fought between equal armies. Internet Explorer was already pre-installed on almost every PC, and the Redmond company had ten times the resources to spend on development and research than their open-source competitor. Spread Firefox began as an effort to harness the collective voices of the programmers, marketers and enthusiasts contributing to the Mozilla project. Rather than positioning themselves as a corporate competitor, Firefox likened itself to a political cause. Externally, the group referred to itself as a "movement", and internally, the very infrastructure of the community site was powered by CivicSpace (formerly DeanSpace). The site is a modified version of the Drupal content management system created for Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign.

Spread Firefox became a rallying hub for open-source advocates and Microsoft dissenters. Since the very beginning, Firefox was humanized as the eager young candidate with a can-do attitude, while Microsoft's IE was portrayed as being bloated, corrupt and resting on his laurels.

In this world, the initial political platforms had nothing to do with health care or fiscal responsibility, but rather the impending threats of spyware and Trojan horses. Instead of putting signs on their lawns, volunteers put "Get Firefox" buttons on their personal websites. Instead of holding bake sales, they held hack-a-thons to build new extensions.

It's not unreasonable to compare the browser's fans to Howard Dean's leaflet-touting Deaniacs. While most enthusiasts opt to don t-shirts or work on web development, there are certainly zealots. One group of hardcore Oregon State University fans went so far as to create a 220 ft. Firefox crop circle.

Both Dean's campaign strategies and Spread Firefox are testament to small contributions and the power of the internet. The race to 1 billion downloads is a huge step in the browser territory struggle; however, as with Dean's campaign, it's still a long way from single-handedly toppling the status quo. Nevertheless, the Firefox campaign may be aided by Microsoft's antitrust case and the company's recent proposal to include rival web browsers in the Windows OS throughout Europe.

Mozilla's bid to become commander in chief, at least in Europe, may actually be achieved in the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see if Opera, Safari and Chrome will step in to split the vote.

For more information on Firefox, visit the Spread Firefox site, or to download the browser, visit the product page.

Beyond that, everything else about the news appears to be speculation, including the phone's supposed June 2009 launch date. However, we're inclined to believe the rumor about the phone's form factor (or perhaps we just want to believe it). Some sources report that the new phone will resemble the Samsung Instinct, a currently popular touchscreen phone that features Power Vision Services, Sprint's over-the-air TV offering. Other rumors point to the phone being a closer match to the Omnia, a phone initially made available in Asia and Europe, and is now with Verizon. Either way, the rumors point to the device being a touchscreen with no slide-out keyboard.

That seems plausible enough to us since the keyboard-equipped G1 is already already available on T-Mobile, one of the carriers which would sell the new Samsung device. The company probably wouldn't want to launch a phone that was too similar to the other Android phone. It's also likely that they would want to capitalize on the success of their previous models, too.

If any of the rumors are true, there's a good chance that the new phone will be introduced at next month's Mobile World Congress, the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, held in Barcelona. Until then, we'll just have to cross our fingers and wait.

With Cloud, there is no desktop. You turn on your computer and it boots up to a Google Chrome web browser page which includes a dock of application shortcuts similar to what you would see on an Apple PC. Introduced at the recent Netbook World Summit in Paris, this simplified "OS" is an ideal install for the new ultraportable notebook computers called "netbooks," according to the company, as it is both fast and lightweight. It really is a true netbook, after all - it embodies the name in a way that none of the other netbook operating systems do.

However, unlike the various Linux-based netbook operating systems out there, including Good OS's failed "gOs" that was installed on the now-discontinued gPCs, Cloud OS does not intend to replace Windows. Instead, it runs alongside it. Presenting a hybrid approach to computing, Cloud gives you quick access to a number of web apps directly from the dock, including Google's Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Docs, Blogger, and YouTube, which you can launch alongside other rich client applications like Skype.

When you need to do heavier lifting, which on a netbook probably means running Microsoft Office, you can switch over to Windows or whatever OS may be running. (Cloud is compatible with all operating systems, says Good OS).

Cloud: OS or PXE?

If Cloud was installed on a traditional laptop or desktop, on the other hand, it would be akin to the Preboot Execution Environments (PXEs) installed on consumers PCs. It is in these PXEs that we may initially test the waters of a cloud OS's potential. Take for example Dell's forthcoming Latitude ON: a  Linux-based system-on-a-chip that consists of a low-power ARM processor and flash memory running independently of the laptop's CPU and hard disk drive. With it, you'll be able to launch a Firefox-based browser, web mail, calendar, and contacts application as well as a Microsoft Office and PDF viewer. Cloud OS is merely an alternative to that software, albeit without the Microsoft Office/PDF support.

But is a PXE really the Cloud OS of our dreams? In our imaginations, at least, there was no app that still required the computing power of the desktop. Is that ever going to be a reality?

Do We Really Want or Need a Cloud OS?

Today's computer users may not need to run as many desktop applications as they did in the past, but there are still several apps whose cloud versions exist only as lightweight counterparts to the real deal. Adobe's Photoshop is a great example of this - although there are several web based photo-editing apps, most would argue that they don't compare in either features or richness to their desktop counterpart. Then there is, of course, the staple: Microsoft Office. It will soon come in a web-flavored version called Microsoft Office Web Applications, but will it really replace the desktop software entirely? Even more, do we want it to?

As we transition to the cloud, we're seeing more attempts at merging the online and offline worlds. Adobe gave us AIR apps, which can be designed to run in offline mode, syncing data back to their various motherships when your internet connection returns. Google delivered Google Gears, a simple yet somewhat clunky implementation that takes web apps offline. Why clunky? Gears doesn't automatically detect a lost connection, you see. (Switch off your Wi-Fi and see what Google Reader does. Oops, an error occurred, it will say.) Instead, using Gears means you must first click the provided button or link which saves the data to your computer for offline viewing. If it wasn't for the syncing it offered, this wouldn't be much more of an improvement over the good ol' "make this web page available offline" trick.

The Drawback to the Cloud OS: An Offline World

So far, these hybrid approaches to dealing with the cloud seem to imply that we're not entirely ready for a complete transition. Internet is not everywhere yet, unfortunately. So where does that leave our hopes for a true cloud OS? Do we first need ubiquitous broadband and Wi-Fi before a cloud OS can become a reality?  Or will we one day surf a free second internet provided by Google? Is Google right now perfecting a hybrid OS in secret? Whatever the case, despite its name, Cloud OS doesn't feel like like the cloud-based OS we dreamed of, but it may be a good first step in that direction.

Ever since the announcement this morning, I've been pondering what Microsoft Azure means to Microsoft's core business - a little desktop operating system called Windows. So I asked Ray Ozzie: given that Microsoft is positioning Azure as an OS for cloud computing, what then is the relationship between Azure and the core Windows (in particular the new version, Windows 7)?

Ozzie's role at Microsoft is to be their lead architect of software systems, and so understandably he launched into a very conceptual answer to my question. He explained that both operating systems will develop alongside each other and that there will be a "bi-directional innovation transfer" between the two. He was pretty clear though that Azure is not designed to replace the desktop OS any time soon, although he said later in the interview that eventually people "will commonly think of this cloud thing as being just another computer". So in a sense what Microsoft is trying to do with Azure is re-define what an OS is, for the cloud computing age.

Azure is clearly Microsoft's response to a computing world going ever more deeper into the cloud (a.k.a. the Internet). Ozzie said that Windows Azure will be their backend of the cloud and the frontend will be a "multi-device world".

As explained in a white paper (docx file) on the Azure website, "Windows Azure runs on a large number of machines, all located in Microsoft data centers and accessible via the Internet."

Cannibalizing Desktop Windows?

It's difficult to fathom at this point if or how Azure will cannibalize Microsoft's core OS business.

I asked Ray Ozzie what will be the licensing implications - for example will enterprises be able to buy just an Azure licence and not [desktop] Windows? Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President of the Server and Tools Business, swooped in to answer that. He replied that enterprises will be able to mix and match - cloud and "on premise" (an apparently new term we've heard a lot today at PDC).

Muglia said that there will be a range of different licensing, just as currently there are lots of different licensing options for Windows Vista - versions for enterprises, students, and so on. There may even, hinted Muglia, be advertising-based licensing models for Azure.

Azure and Amazon

Earlier in the day I'd asked Daz Wilkin, of Microsoft's platform group, how Microsoft Azure compares to Amazon's cloud offerings. Wilkin stated that Amazon's system can be thought of as an "empty vessal", because developers basically pour all their software and effort into Amazon's system. Microsoft Azure on the other hand, according to Wilkin, is a "compute fabric" - the developer can focus on building the business logic and then scaling the platform to the demand. Azure takes away the "lower level complexities", according to Wilkin.

In the keynote today, Ray Ozzie was careful to heap praise on Amazon, saying that we all owe Amazon a debt of thanks for driving cloud computing forward. In the roundtable, Ozzie said that he hopes others do compete with Microsoft: "it'll be bad if we're the only ones doing this".

In our next post on Azure, we'll delve into the software implications of Microsoft Azure. For now, tell us how you think Azure relates to the desktop Windows OS? If you work in a corporation, let us know how you envision using these two different - yet intimately connected - operating systems.

Why sponsor ReadWriteWeb? It is one of the 10 most popular blogs in the world, according to Technorati, and reaches an influential audience. Our site is read by tech and media professionals, early adopters, developers, designers, analysts, CIO's, VC's, media execs, leading thinkers. Email us now for more details.

E.Factor stands for "The Entrepreneur Factor" and represents a vibrant online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.

Strands has created a social recommender engine that is able to provide real-time recommendations of products and services through computers, mobile phones and other Internet-connected devices.

Calais, powered by Thomson Reuters, brings state-of-the-art semantic functionality into your blog, content management system, site or application.

The Web 3.0 Conference is for the builders of the next generation Web: designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and venture capitalists. It's on October 16 - 17, 2008 in Santa Clara, CA.

Talklets, from TEXTIC, is a Text to Speech system for your web pages or applications. Its API gives you the ability to convert text to speech, dynamically, on your website.

Compete Search Analytics is a way to build and optimize search marketing campaigns.

Direct Media Exchange is a simple solution for managing ad networks that allows publishers to make more money from their websites.

Rackspace provides dedicated server hosting.

The Defrag conference is focused on the tools and technologies that accelerate the "aha" moment. It is being held November 3-4 in Denver, Colorado.

EditMe lets you make a web site in minutes and edit the content with a single click.

Quintura is a visual-based search engine, which we are now using to power ReadWriteWeb's main search. Check it out here.

Eurekster is developer of the swicki that we use on RWW, a custom social search portal on the topic of your choice (in our case web tech).

MediaTemple provides hosting for RWW and SixApart provides our publishing software MT4.

This week, Fairtilizer has launched the first part of their new distribution platform: an embeddable player which allows indie artists to share their music anywhere on the net from web sites to blogs to social networks.

We told you about Fairitlizer over a year ago, when the company was still in private alpha. The easiest way to describe the site is to say that it combines the discovery aspects of Hype Machine with the distribution model of Tunecore. At the time of our initial writing, the company let artists upload tracks which visitors could browse through to find music they liked. Now Fairtilizer has opened its doors and is launching the next phase of their service: distribution.

Artists can now use one unified interface provided by Fairtilizer to distribute songs to blogs, web sites, social networks, and digital music stores...yes, even iTunes (The digital stores piece is coming soon, the others are available now). The distribution is aided by an embeddable player which can be added to any web site. The player comes in four different sizes and has shuffle and autoplay options as well as the ability to stream a customizable playlist. Once embedded, artists can then easily track analytics like downloads and plays per country.

The Fairtilzer Player:

Additionally, on the Fairtilizer web site itself, each track page comes with customizable URL, artwork, space for description and links (like to artist web sites, stores, and booking contacts, etc.), and a comment board for listeners. Tracks can be set to streaming only or made available for download, and soon artists will be able to mark them for sale, too, if they so desire. The tracks can also be set to public or private.

That private setting is designed to help artists in the initial phases before the launch of a new tune. Traditionally, launching a new track involves three steps: production, promotion, and distribution. With record companies today, leaks can occur in both the production and promotion phases as tracks are sent back and forth between artists, producers, DJs, journalists, and other taste makers who receive a first look before the track becomes publicly available. To combat those leaks, Fairtilizer provides these "private streams" instead. Artists will be able to send the track to specific people just as they did before, but the track will be protected from piracy and leaks.

The Future of Music

Although Fairtilizer will provide tools for artists wishing to sell their music, the focus isn't just on music sales. Instead, it focuses on providing all the tools an artist would need to get their music discovered, downloaded, shared, and distributed.

In the future, says Olivier Rosset, a former music exec and co-founder of Fairtilizer, it won't be about who owns the rights to a recording anymore. Music will instead center around the URL. And at Fairtilizer, they want to be the company that best helps an artist get that URL, that single track, onto the most sites across the internet.

Usually team collaboration tools are separated into distinct categories. You have tools for presentations like GoToMeeting, WebEx, or BudgetConferencing; you have whiteboarding applications like Twiddla's team brainstorming solution and sometimes you have combo solutions like Adobe's Connect Now which lets you whiteboard and web conference at the same time. Or there's Vyew which lets you whiteboard and screen share. Then you have your project or task management tool set which can be anything from Basecamp to Clever Tools to Google Docs or it can even be an enterprise 2.0 app like the newly launched Qtask. Finally, if you just want to share screens live, you have to turn to solutions like Yugma (review), Yuuguu (review), or DimDim.(This isn't an extensive list by any means, FYI).

There aren't many apps that combine all these functions into one. OpenACircle, however, makes a good effort at doing so. The only feature they're lacking is a dedicated whiteboarding tool, but considering the support for everything else from file sharing to screen sharing, it's not worth dismissing the app solely due to that one missing feature. Besides, they're looking into adding that in a later release, if there is enough demand.

OpenACircle Dashboard

OpenACircle's Feature Set

What OpenACircle does provide is an extensive feature set that works well for distributed teams that still need to meet up regularly and share what they're working on with each other. To accomplish this, the app provides the following features, as detailed below.

Collaborate

The core feature to OpenACircle is the concept of the circles themselves. Essentially, a circle is a virtual team collaboration space where everyone can share information and work with each other in an environment focused on one particular area of a task or project.

If you have documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, PowerPoints, or any other type of file, you can upload it to the circle. You can import contacts from your email program and you can invite other members to join the circle. From within the circle, you can quickly launch the other conferencing aspects of the program like web conferencing which is done using web cams or screen-sharing. Every action taken within a circle is meant to be fast and easy, often only one or two clicks away. In a circle, no one person is tasked with being the admin or organizer - everyone can upload files, start chats, or host a meeting.

A Live Room

Presentations and Web Conferencing

Whether you need to share your desktop for a presentation or just have an online meeting with other team members, you can accomplish this from OpenACircle. Anyone can schedule the meeting and invite members to attend. Although a dozen members can participate in a live audio or video conference at one time, OpenACircle limits you to viewing three web cams and one desktop at a time. They claim this to be an intentional design choice because "people talk in same clusters," but the reality is that the system might not be able to support a dozen live cam streams at once. That's not really a big deal for smaller teams, but those teams with more members might wish to see all the faces of the meeting attendees.

Meeting Participants

For anyone who missed the meeting, the recordings are made available for later viewing. What's interesting is that multiple recordings from each member's viewpoint are archived. This means that you could have Bob, who was watching Sue's desktop, saved in one stream and John, who was watching Bob's desktop, saved in another. That's a feature you don't see elsewhere.

Chats

While attending a meeting, you have the opportunity to chat with other members through an integrated text chatting feature. You can even privately chat ("whisper") to each other. Those public chats are later archived within the circle. They could be used for side discussions or even as real-time meeting minutes.

Conclusion

OpenACircle represents an innovative all-in-one solution for small teams. They could be teams in a traditional enterprise or SMB environment who are just looking for a better way to work together or they could also be distributed teams for whom geography is a challenge. Mobile professionals will like it too, as it allows them to attend meetings and have the benefit of team collaboration even when they're on the road alone.

Users today receive 25 circles with as many as 50 people in each circle with unlimited storage. OpenACircle.com will begin charging in January. Anyone who signs up now will receive 90 days free even if they exceed what is currently being provided for free. Pricing is $9.95 for a premium account that incorporates additional circles and additional storage. OpenACircle.com will always have a free version. A fully operable version will be free up to a certain memory limitation (1GB) and over that will be $9.95 per month per user.

You can now join the OpenACircle beta program from the company homepage.

UPDATE: In light of the comments below, it's worth noting that OpenACircle has initially launched Windows-only, but support for other platforms (like Mac) and browsers (including a mobile version) are coming in the future. More specifically, Firefox support is only 30-45 days out.