Cast your net wide the best 20 web apps

Everyone likes creating lists—be it the top 50 movies or the 100 greatest songs of all time. We decided to come up with a best-of-Web apps list. You may not agree with some of the apps on our list, but then who said making lists also means pleasing everyone?

1. Zoho Docs
Zoho is an online full-function office suite that lets you create and edit word documents, spreadsheets and presentations, among other things. But wait a minute, why not Google Docs? It was a tough call between our numero uno Web app and the old favourite Google Docs. The reason we chose Zoho is because frankly we're tired of the minor irritants Google Docs keeps throwing up and we value its adherence to its desktop roots in terms of UI.


2. Dropbox
Without a doubt the best file-syncing Web app out there. It's a cross platform and allows you to sync your files across multiple systems, be it Linux-, Mac- or Windows-based. The best part is that apart from syncing folders seamlessly, it also keeps a copy of your files on the cloud.

3. Last.fm
Last.fm is by far the ultimate music discovery app out there. Apart from playing similar artistes on call, this service has a social feel to it—allowing you to connect with people with similar music tastes.

4. ScreenToaster
ScreenToaster is a free Web-based screen capture tool. Registration is not compulsory. All you need to do is visit the site and click Record. This one is a clear-cut replacement of desktop applications such as CamStudio. The only trouble is the app suffers a lot of downtime.

5. Evernote
An online note-taking-cum-clipboard application is something most people have come to need. The Web app allows you to save/organize notes, pictures and reminders from anywhere on the Web. iClippy and SpringPad were contenders, but Evernote nudged them out ever so slightly.

6. Grooveshark
Online music is the only category in which we have two Web apps instead of featuring just one. Grooveshark is the best place on the Web for playing music instantly. Sure, you can make playlists and blah, but if you need a song, and need it now, this is the app!

7. Ge.tt
With Ge.tt you can share files instantly with anyone. Simply upload the file and share the link. What's unique is that there's no size limit and people can start downloading your shared files while you're uploading from your end. If you choose to register, you get stats and analytics too.

8. Pixlr
No Web apps list can be complete without a powerful image-editing application. The Web offers many choices—from basic ones such as Fotoflexer, Lunapic, Picnik and Adobe Photoshop's online version Photoshop Express to an advanced class of editors such as Pixlr, Aviary Phoenix, Splashup and Sumo Paint. After pushing at all of them till they broke, we arrived at Pixlr. If you want to get some serious photoediting done online, Pixlr is the app that truly delivers.

9. Penzu
Penzu is an online personal diary app with special emphasis on privacy and security. The UI is like an old school writing pad or journal where you can pen down your thoughts at the end of a long tiring day.

10. Bitlet.org
This is a cross platform Bit Torrent program that lets you enable your very own Bit Torrent client in the cloud. The Java-based app can load torrent files from a URL or from a local drive. You can set the incoming port and upload limit. It even supports resuming as long as you save in the same location. You can also stream audio as MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format.

11. JotForm
Need to create a feedback or survey form, but don't know Web programming? Sure there's Google Docs Forms, or paid options such as Wufoo and FormStack, but this one is just as powerful and easier to use with its drag and drop functionality. Simply make a form, embed anywhere and receive responses via email.

12. KeepVid
KeepVid is a Web app that allows you to instantly download any video you're currently streaming. It supports sites such as YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, Putfile and more. Simply paste the URL in the Web UI or use the bookmarklet.

13. DropMocks
Sure you have Picasa and Flikr to create image galleries but what if you want to create a gallery instantaneously? DropMocks is the easiest way to create and share nice-looking image galleries online. All you need to do is drag your image files on to the DropMocks page, and the app will do the rest. Copy link to share your image gallery.

14. PDFmyUrl
Have URL, will convert! Can't get simpler than that. And the PDFs come out in good quality with minimal file size. 5,237,544 PDFs served at the time of writing this.

15. Imo.im
Web-based messengers were perhaps the first Web apps ever to exist. People used them to get around their office IT policy. There's a lot of 'em around, but Imo.im in our opinion is the simplest, most easy to use and fairly reliable.

16. PDFescape
Speaking of PDFs, isn't it difficult to manipulate them even with desktop applications? Here's a Web tool that allows you to fill in PDF forms and generally annotate and manipulate PDFs however you want—be it rearranging pages, typing text, adding links, even erasing and highlighting. The app won a place in this list by a whisker compared with FillanyPDF—another similar Web app that even lets you collect data via PDF forms.

17. Prezi
When you think "presentations", you think "slides", right? Well here's an online presentation tool that's going to redefine how we give presentations. It uses a huge canvas and zooms on important content contextually. On a side note, you will most definitely also want to check out SlideRocket for adding regular spice to conventionality.

18. Online.movavi.com
Transcoding video can be a resource-intensive task. With this app you get to transfer the load to the cloud. The app supports several input/output formats and even presets for popular mobile devices.

19. Torrent2exe
Wouldn't it be nice if you could package a torrent as an executable file that launches with its own inbuilt Bit Torrent client? This Web app does just that. Simply share the file on your blog post (or wherever) and users can download your content in a hassle-free manner.

20. Vuvox
Vuvox is a cutting-edge Web app that allows you to transform simple pictures into an interactive, motion-driven collage. It's a great tool for photobloggers, students or just about anyone who wants to showcase a subject in a fun way.

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7 Web Apps For Effective Execs

They do not need to be installed on your computer, but Web apps can help you work smarter in ways you never imagined.
They have been around for a while now, delivering a lot of value, but seldom getting the kind of recognition they deserve. They can run on almost any computer, require no installation space on your hard disk and can be accessed from just about any system, as long as you have your username and password handy. We are talking about Web applications, or Web apps as it is fashionable to call them these days — those applications that work within your browser just like others do on your desktop.
A few years ago, such applications were painfully limited and let you do little more than the most basic tasks. For instance, online storage sites would let you store information online, but sharing it with others was often a messy experience, involving either handing out your username or password or running the risk of the other person seeing all the information you had stored online rather than just the bits that you wished them to access. Bandwidth was a major issue, slowing down their performance. In fact, the most popular Web apps used to be casual games that could be played within a browser!
Things are very different now. Thanks to better bandwidth and of course, the inevitable progress of techology, Web apps have now reached a stage where a company like Google has started a whole online store dedicated to Web apps that run on its Chrome browser (the Chrome Web Store). And while games continue to be as popular as ever, there are now a formidable array of productivity-oriented Web apps that let you do your work from just about any computer that has a Web browser and internet connectivity.
And here are seven of the best for the hardworking and connected executive:






Google Docs
MS Office is by far the most-used software (after browsers and e-mail clients) in professional circles. And it is a tribute to just how good Google's online office suite, Google Docs, is that many consider it to be on a par with the Microsoft behemoth, with excellent sharing options thrown in. Google Docs lets you edit and create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings from within your browser, its plain interface hiding just about every editing option most executives would need from tables to word counts to showing revisions. And it supports MS Office formats too, so you can actually open an MS Office document in it, edit it and save it. Best of all, you can not only share your documents with colleagues, but also work in them in real time, seeing the changes each of you is making, irrespective of your geographical location. Top that off with the fact that you can view the files you have saved on Google Docs on just about any smartphone and you can see why we consider this to be one of the best productivity Web apps around.
Access it from: https://docs.google.com/


Basecamp
E-mail might have made communication a whole lot easier, but anyone who has used it to coordinate a team effort will tell you that following different threads and knowing whom to mark in and out among the recipients can be a bit of a nightmare. Basecamp, an online app dedicated to better project coordination, makes it much easier. You can leave notes to specific team members, send messages, share information, use readymade templates, assign tasks and responsibilities in a much more organised way by using this online tool. There are also a number of add-ons ranging from burndown charts to timelines to help things along. No, it is not free and comes for $49 a month, but the fact that it works smoothly on just about any system makes it invaluable for teams working on projects.
Access it from: http://basecamphq.com/


30 Boxes
It has been around for a while now and in spite of competition from the likes of Google Calendar, the quaintly-named 30 Boxes remains by far one of easiest and most powerful online calendar apps to use. You can mark out events, have groups of events, share them with your friends, search for specific entries, add them to your blog, place them on a map and do a whole host of other things, all through an incredibly simple and zippy interface that has you making notes and entries in boxes that represent each day. Almost as easy as scribbling on a real calendar.
Access it from: http://30boxes.com/


Remember the Milk
"Never forget the milk (or anything else) again" promises this Web app and it sure delivers. Although basically a to-do list app that lets you record the tasks you need to do in the coming days, Remember the Milk throws in some very handy features and a simple interface that make it stand out. Not only can you set out tasks (you can even add them by sending an email), but you can also select how you wish to be reminded of them — by SMS, mail or even, for chat addicts, on IM. You can make as many task lists as you wish, plot them on a map and share them with contacts.
Access it from: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/


Aviary
Hardcore designers might need heavy duty tools like PhotoShop, but if you are the type that needs an app that will let you do most basic imagetweaking with minimum fuss (read "no downloading heavy software"), and a little more besides, then Aviary's online suite of tools is an excellent option. It has a powerful online image-editing tool with colour, vectors and effects editors thrown in, and even a music editing app thrown in, making it far more versatile than Adobe's own online version of Photoshop. Just make sure you have a good internet connection as some of the apps take time to load within the browser.
Access it from: http://www.aviary.com/


YuuGuu
This simple and yet very effective Web app makes Web conferencing and screen sharing an effortless task. Users do not need to download anything — all they need to do is go to a link, and enter a PIN to be able to see what is on your computer screen, be it a spreadsheet, database or presentation. You can even share keyboard and mouse control, so an attendee can actually highlight a point they need to understand better, and there is a very decent global audio conferencing system integrated into the app for those times when you need to talk as well. Again, it is not free (rates start from $8 per day to $79 for a year), but a terrific tool for those into Web conferencing.
Access it from: http://www.yuuguu.com/


280 Slides
Yes, we know that Google Docs has a very decent presentation tool in it, but if you are the type who really loves the "power" in Power-Point, then we would recommend trying out 280 slides, which has a formidable array of options up its sleeve, with a slick interface to boot. You can import existing presentations into it and edit them as well as create new ones, complete with videos and pictures, and use some very stylish online themes too. Of course, you can mail your presentation, download it in PowerPoint 2007 format (alas, the new version is not supported...yet) and even put it on your website with minimum fuss. A very easy to use and powerful presentation tool.

Access it from: http://280slides.com/


WEB APP BENEFITS...
In most cases, you do not need to install anything on your computer's hard drive. This is particularly useful if you're working on a restricted computer (where app installation is barred) or one with guest user access
You can access the apps from most computers that have a Web browser and a stable internet connection
You can access the information saved on them from anywhere — no need to carry your data around on a notebook or portable storage
Many of them are free, and most cost a lot lesser than their desktop counterparts


...AND HEADACHES
Most Web apps need a brisk Internet connection to work at their best. So if you have anything less than a decent broadband connection, do not think of using them.
While most Web apps claim to be secure, the fact that you are working online does expose you to a certain number of security threats that you would not face in the case of installed apps. So do be careful with your usernames and passwords, as your data is not on your computer but out there on the Web.
Classically, a Web app should be able to run within just about any browser, but a number of Web apps of late tend to run better in some browsers than others and some even require you to install plug-ins to get the most out of them, thus negating the "access-fromanywhere" benefit.

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