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Filed under: Business, Fun, Internet, Web services, Social Software, web 2.0

Box.net throws files in your Face(book) application

Box.net throws files in your Face(book) applicationBox.net, the online storage company, has a Facebook application. After all, you aren't a real Web 2.0 company if you don't have a Facebook application it seems.

Box.net's Facebook application allows users to manage all files stored in your account from directly within Facebook. It doesn't matter if they are private or shared, it's like logging into your regular Box.net account. Some updates have been made recently to the application that make it a worthwhile application add in Facebook.

First there is the File Attachment update. Users are now able to attach files to messages that are sent to friends. Next, when logging into Facebook, there is a new interface for Box.net that is accessible from the "Files" tab. Pick a file that you want to feature on your profile page, and share away. The final update is with a fully featured file browser that is listed in the application page, replicating a thumb drive device so that accessing documents is easier than before.

Don't get us wrong, we still love Box.net. We just wonder if this Facebook application phase will ever end, and the world of Portal 2.0 will blow over.

Filed under: Design, Developer, Internet, Utilities, Office, Web services, Microsoft

Box.net Office On Demand

box.net office on demandIf you are a regular user of Microsoft Office, and the Box.net storage platform, you are going to love this new feature that makes storing and accessing your docs online an easy alternative to Google's Docs and Spreadsheets.

The Box.net team has just completed work on an Office On Demand feature for Word users that enables an easy way to save Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Access files directly into Box.net storage accounts.

The application is only available for Windows XP and Vista users. It adds a "Save to Box.net" button to the application toolbar, that when clicked, instantly uploads the file. This new feature is great if you are constantly switching between multiple computers, no more flash keys or manual uploading required.

Filed under: Business, Internet

Sell it on eBay, ship it with Amazon

amazon boxAmazon is expanding its program allowing independent sellers to use its 20 distribution centers around the world to ship packages. For the first time, the company is allowing people who sell items on other, competing services (say, eBay) to use Amazon's shipping resources.

Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon program has been available since last fall, but it was unavailable to those selling their goods through web services other than Amazon.

Basically, the service allows small stores to send their inventory to Amazon for storage. When a customer purchases an item, Amazon will pull the product from inventory, pack it and ship it. Sure, you have to pay to ship your goods to Amazon and again to the customer. But if you don't have room in your home or small shop to store your inventory, it might be cheaper than buying more retail space.

While part of eBay's success is based on the fact that the company doesn't need its own shipping or storage space, Amazon already had 10-million feet of space for its own shipping operations. It can leverage some of those resources to help small businesses while making a profit.

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

New packaging for Vista and Office

New Vista and Office 2007 packaging

Over at the Windows Vista Team Blog they're showing off some renders of the new retail packaging that Windows Vista and Office 2007 will be shipping in. Is this news? Well... no. But the packages are pretty and clearly show the direction Windows is going in, i.e. away from this and toward this. Says Microsoft's Nick White: "Designed to be user-friendly, the new packaging is a small, hard, plastic container that's designed to protect the software inside for life-long use. It provides a convenient and attractive place for you to permanently store both discs and documentation." Microsoft intends to extend the same style to the rest of its product lines in the coming year.

Check out some bigger pix after the jump.

Update: Reader Don alerts us that Neowin.net has some additional shots, including Vista Ultimate, Home Premium, and Business. I've updated the images above and below the cut to include them.

Read more →

Filed under: Developer, Fun, Text, Utilities, Web services

TheSpringBox: Widget engine for desktop and web

Spring BoxThe Spring Box is a widget engine for the web and for the desktop that is just plain sprung (sorry, I grew up near Chicago, so I still know a little street slang). The product is in beta, so you know it is cool like all the other roller-shoe wearing kids, but this also means there are not a lot of widgets available for consumption just yet. There is an API for developers that you can use (developer skills preferable) to make your own widgets, available by contacting the company. Currently the list of widgets you can use are: RSS reader, NFL GameTrax, Scoreboard, Clock. You can embed the widgets anywhere that accepts code such as MySpace, Faces.com, Friendster, Xanga, and many more or download the engine to use on your desktop. One idea Spring Box may want to explore is some way to display Yahoo or other widgets on their engine, to allow integration across other widget-works (if at all possible). So check it out and start gettin' sproingy with it!

Goowy adding web-based IM, file storage

Goowy
IM and file storageGoowy, a personalized home page site whose main distinguishing feature until now has been its Flash-based interface, is planning to add some more compelling features soon, namely instant messaging and online file storage. According to TechCrunch's Michael Arrington the file storage feature will be through Box.net using its new API and include up to 1GB storage (with a crappy 5MB-per-file limit), and the IM component will work with all the major IM networks (a la Meebo). Head over to TechCrunch for a screenshot of the new IM feature.

Speaking of Google Talk and personalized home pages, though, it seems odd to me that Google has yet to integrate its own IM service with its own Personalized Home. Perhaps they're working on it.

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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