 "Pokki - Bring web services to the desktop")
Every once in a while, there comes a software that offers something so unique and unheard of that you can’t help but stop by and try it. One such software that has been making the rounds this past week or two is something called Pokki.
Pokki allows users to add web services as apps on their desktop. There have been several attempts in the past, usually by major web browser developers who’ve wanted to bring web services to the desktop but they haven’t been completely successful and it might have something to do with the implementation and how easy interacting and accessing those services was. Often, these web apps were no more than a web browser with a really basic interface.
What is Pokki?
Pokki is quite honestly, just another attempt at bringing web apps to the desktop. Currently, it’s a Windows 7 compatible software that brings web apps to your fingertips. The Pokki site says that a Windows XP version is coming sometime this coming month. Pokki is a software that runs in the background on Windows 7 and is only visible as an icon on the taskbar.
Adding Pokkis to your collection
It’s freely available for download. You can download Pokki by downloading any one of the services. If you’re a Gmail user like many of us, go ahead and download it. Once installed, installing additional add-ons (they are called Pokkies, if you’re wondering) can be done by clicking on the main Pokki icon.
Recommended Pokkies
Gmail
A very authentic, but prettier looking Gmail user interface
It’s the most popular e-mail service out there and having to log into it using a web browser each time to check updates can be annoying. The Gmail Pokki not only allows you to see the number of unread messages in your taskbar, but also lets you read them, reply and compose new mails all through your taskbar. Let’s not even forget the fact that there are no ads visible anywhere on the interface. Attachments aren’t supported yet.
The Facebook Pokki is similar to the Gmail add-on. It shows you what’s important - your wall in a very neatly formatted manner, a list of friends, messages and notifications. Chat would be a nice feature to see in Pokki. Hopefully, it will appear soon enough.
gSearch
Many of us like to access our browsers to access a search engine. This is a few steps long and the process can be shortened drastically. Install IT, then click on the gSearch icon and a Google search bar will pop up from the taskbar. Search results will then be displayed in your default web browser.
Headlines
RSS feed reader with a tablet-like UI for the desktop
Headlines is an RSS feed reader for Pokki. The presentation of Headlines is somewhat like iPad apps such as FLUD and Pulse (also available for Android). After you’ve added your favorite feeds to Headlines, a counter shows a count of new articles. Click it and you’re showing your favourite feeds and the topics. Click on it, and the complete news article opens up in a browser. Visit our RSS homepage to receive our feeds in realtime http://tech2.in.com/rss.html
Tweeki
Tweeting straight off your desktop with Tweeki
Tweeki as the name may suggest, is a Twitter client. Forget sluggish Twitter clients. Pokki is relatively light on the system, so you don’t have to worry about your PC slowing down. It’s pretty feature-rich, too. For example, it shows you almost everything that your Twitter web interface shows you, including trends, replies, messages and even search lists. URL shortening is also present in the applet.
Make your own Pokki
These are still early days for Pokki. There are only a limited set of Pokkis but there’s space for improvement in each of them. Controls are somewhat limited, but that should only get better. The platform has a ton of potential, though. With a very tight user interface, necessary functionality and negligible system requirements, it’s one app worth trying out.
If you’re a web developer and you want to create an app for your service, Pokki has an SDK available for download on their developers page. HTML5, CSS and Javascript is all you need to know. The necessary documentation to make Pokki apps are all present there.
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