Random Accesses

Xcerion is a Swedish Internet startup whose founders include ex-Microsoft employees Lou Perazzoli and John Connors. The company will make headlines later this year when they officially unveil what they call an "Internet OS" dubbed XIOS that runs in a web browser. We took an early look at the XIOS concept and had the chance to talk about the project with the company's CEO, Daniel Arthursson.

The "operating system" (more on the scare quotes later) is based on XML, and using AJAX it connects to multiple back-end servers running Ubuntu Linux. XIOS is not an applet or a plug-in. Instead, the "OS" is really a complex AJAX-based system, and Arthursson says that it can be viewed as a virtual machine for XML applications.

How does it work? After downloading a couple of megabytes of code, a user can "boot up" XIOS in a web browser and start running the OS and applications Xcerion is developing. Xcerion says that XIOS and its default applications will be free, and the applications themselves will be open-sourced so that users can modify them to suit their own needs. Furthermore, XIOS is a development platform that will allow coders to create their own applications, so it's not just limited to productivity applications.
Source: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070408-dreaming-in-the-cloud-with-the-xios-web-operating-system.html

A coalition of big technology companies wants to bring high-speed Internet access to consumers in a new way: over television airwaves. Key to the project is whether a device scheduled to be delivered to federal labs today lives up to its promise.

The coalition, which includes Microsoft and Google, wants regulators to allow idle TV channels, known as white space, to be used to beam the Internet into homes and offices. But the Federal Communications Commission first must be convinced that such traffic would not bleed outside its designated channels and interfere with existing broadcasts.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031201395.html

Logitech EasyCall Desktop is a complete solution for Internet calling and navigating the PC. The EasyCall Desktop´s full-duplex speakerphone includes Logitech® RightSound™ Technology, which eliminates echoes for clear headset-free Internet phone calls. The speakerphone acts as the control center for the Internet calling experience, with volume up and down, mute, call pick-up, and call hang-up buttons that make it easy for people to manage Internet calls.

A full communications panel on the stylish cordless keyboard provides people with the ability to launch Internet communications applications, easily change their online status, and make and accept calls. Convenient speed-dialing controls offer one-touch calling to friends, family, or co-workers.

Source: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/news/US/EN,contentid=12624,crid=34

ScatterChat is a secure instant messaging client designed for non-technical users who require secure and anonymous communications. Our typical end-users include human rights and democracy advocates operating in hostile territory. ScatterChat is also a valuable tool for anyone requiring secure communications.

It is based upon the Gaim software, provides end-to-end encryption, integrated onion-routing with Tor, secure file transfers, and easy-to-read documentation.

Source: http://www.scatterchat.com/

For a sneak peek at the future of computing, go to YouOS and click "Try a Demo." Your browser window turns into a desktop of its own, with sub-windows for e-mail, chat, and Web browsing. There are also links on the YouOS desktop for a sticky-notes program and a rich-text editor. But these programs aren't on your hard drive—they're running somewhere in the vast unknown Internet.

Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2144896/