May 3rd, 2006
Hands On Review: Can Goowy Replace the GUI Desktop?
By John Tintle
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
Today I will be doing a quick review of Goowy, an online desktop replacement. The site name is a play on words: pronounced “gooey”, Goowy is aiming to replace the GUI or “gooey” interface on the desktop in the online world. To do this, Goowy gives you a single online “webtop” where you can check your email (1 account at this time), keep up with your instant messaging clients, and keep your contacts, calandar, and 1 Gigabyte of online storage for your personal files.
The Goowy email service is pretty straightforward using POP3 settings to access your mail account, it offers access to MSN, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo or your personal POP3 email service. There are no real advancements in the online checking of the email here, but it works.
The “enhanced” instant messaging feature allows you to log into the 4 major instant messenger programs with one handy Flash-based application. Nothing really new here either, except you can have access to all the messengers via one web page anywhere you have Internet access.
Bottom Line: I have been using this for a few days now, and have really taken a liking to it. Goowy allows me to keep all my contacts, calendars, and email available to me anywhere there is web access. While Goowy is still in its early goings and in the future will be offering certain features for paying customers, its a nice online application in the Web 2.0 way of the world. It may not be a breakthrough, but I do find it quite handy. So give it a shot while its still free and let me know what you think.
Hal says:
Not bad for a 1.0 product…
Would be nice if they provided a close or return to desktop icon/button. It’s a pain to refresh to return to the desktop.
I DO like the e-mail integration.
May 3rd, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Ryan says:
Do you even understand what a GUI is? Goowy IS a GUI, as is RealTechNews, and your browser, and your OS (most likely). You cannot replace “the GUI” with a GUI. Perhaps with a VRUI (virtual reality user interface), but thats probably the next step. Get a clue.
May 3rd, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Alice says:
Thanks Ryan - we know what a GUI is. We’re just having fun saying Gooey and Goowey so on.
May 3rd, 2006 at 4:41 pm
John Corliss says:
That’s right. Keep using web services and encouraging that idiocy. Eventually none of us will have software on our hard drives, and we will all be paying rental fees for online services, just like Microsoft and other large software companies want.
May 4th, 2006 at 2:00 am
Another Mike says:
Oh my… What’s with all the bickering about choices. Nobody says you have to use it. But it’s interesting alternative. The idea is that you’ll have a single interface for doing daily activities, instead of having different experiences everytime you move to a different computer. Would I need this? No probably not. Nerds will say that they can VNC/Remote desktop whenever they need the “at home” experience. But I’d say, BAH. It’s just nice to have alternatives to the status quo.
May 4th, 2006 at 10:51 am
jtintle says:
Good Point Mike, and thats why I did a quick Review on it. If one person likes it and uses it because this article introduced them to it then I am a happy writer…
May 4th, 2006 at 11:29 am