NewsPond is a news aggregator that’s somewhere between TechMeme and Digg (okay, someone already said this, but I guess it’s a good description) - it aggregates news from different sources on the web using an automated AI algorithm while allowing registered users to comment on stories which then determines the stories “Buoyancy Rating” (kinda like thumbs up on Digg). The higher this buoyancy rating, the higher the story is in the “most popular mode”.

Registered users are given the option to save a story in their personal archive, which is useful for following a developing topic, and can comment on stories as well. The basic registration (naturally free) asks the user to choose the basic info (username, password), but the profile is further customizable by adding additional info such as location, homepage URL, age, sex and bio. I don’t see why this exists as an option now, since there is no visible purpose for this (sharing stuff with other members, searching other members, grouping …), so I am guessing the service will extend member interaction in the future, so this additional info will be useful then.

The interface looks nice (a very web 2.0 - ish interface), with effects that are moderately expensive as far as processing is concerned, but slower machines can by-pass any rendering problems by turning off “some” of the advanced interface features (requires registration). One thing that bothered me was the lack of feeds (or at least I didn’t find them). There are five categories - most recent, most popular now, biggest today, 1w, 1m - that could all have their own feed and make it easier to see headlines in a feed reader. I am hoping they will introduce this in the future. The graphics on the site are very impressive though, and so is the whole look and feel of the site. If NewsPond added video news as well, that would really make them stand out. Check them out!

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TokBox announced a new development. They now offer a group chat option for up to 6 simultaneous connections. This is currently available on Meebo. A change like this is welcome, especially after a great start by TokBox in mid-October.

There are a couple of other changes as well, such as improved video settings, immediate callback function, higher definition image quality, improved stability and speed.

TokBox already has an API which allows site visitors to talk to each other through the hosting site, without software downloads. If the API includes the group chat feature any time soon, than it will become a whole lot more useful.

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There is a new service on the Web, called TokBox (tokbox.com) which enables users to make video calls without installing any additional software whatsoever. What you get is free video chat, no downloads to use the service, interface embeddable in any website, and privacy control. Finally, this sounds too good to be true.

This is nothing really new in concept. The service uses Flash technology, and its support for audio/video streaming. The rise in adoption of broadband Internet in the last couple of years has certainly contributed to something like this finally happening, but the fact that all you have to do to use this service is to register, and all you have to do to make yourself available for video chat is to paste some code, makes this really useful.

There is also an API for a more advanced use of TokBox services, but I haven’t tried it yet. The API documentation is simple enough and gives basic control on how you are going to use TokBox on your site. Developers can make POST requests with or without authentication and get functionality accordingly. If I understood correctly, apart from calls, you can also register users through the API from your own website. This is cool if, for example, you give someone the option to video chat with you but they don’t use the service yet. I can see a lot of implementation for this for something like customer support, where a friendly face can get more than than a lengthy phone conversation. The only obstacle may be industry adoption, but look at Skype, and how quickly it spread.

So, what about money? Advertising appearing on the site may be delivered to TokBox users by TokBox or one of their web advertising partners. I expect this will not be much different than other in-video advertising solutions such as AdSense in YouTube (video units). Free always has a price, but if this is done moderately it shouldn’t bother users too much.

NY Times gave TokBox a more in-depth coverage, and gives them a thumbs-up for the future. Actually, according to the NY Times post, one of the people backing TokBox is a former YouTube founder Jawed Karim, which should mean TokBox is heading in the right direction. TokBox aims to do for video chatting what YouTube did for online video.

The service is still in Beta, so glithces are to be expected. The API has a lot of room for expansion so if you have suggestions, head on over to their blog. BTW, they announced a small competition, The TokBox $5000 Developer Challenge, where the best use of their API for development gets $5K. So, if you have an idea, go for it.

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I must admit I’m running a bit late with catching this one - Scrybe.com, a project by Scrybe Corporation founded by Faizan Buzdar (31), based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He and his three friends developed, under “improvised” working conditions I might add, a personal information manager called Scrybe that just might change the way we look at organizers. I won’t go into too much detail about Scrybe Corporation and authors (you can see more here), except to say they received an undisclosed amount of funding from Adobe Systems and LMKR. What I want you to do is take a couple of minutes and watch their demo video below, or on their site if you prefer.

I am truly amazed by what I saw on the demo. What do you think? Is Scrybe something you’ll definitely try. Although Beta testing is in progress, they are not taking any more sign-ups (like I said, I’m running late with this), but new users can still get in if they receive invitations from existing users.

So, dearest existing Scrybe user, please send me an invitation

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