More high quality web-based tools stuff from the Zoho team. We think Zoho continues to prove itself
at the very top of the Web 2.0 food chain. In other words, we think they will be around for a long time.

This time we’re reporting on the first public beta release of their web-based notebook product, Zoho Notebook (ZN). Talk about tools and features, ZN has many and this is only the first public beta.

We’ve been using it for the past six weeks (in a private beta) and have been very impressed.

What can you do? Here are a few example:

+ Save/Embed/Share many any types of web-content in a single place including:

+ Simple text. “Version control” of text items are available, so going back to an older version is just a click away. Also, pin comments/notes to text.

+ Drag, drop, ‘pin’, item in the order you best see fit.

+ Streaming audio files and the ability to record and save/share your own audio and video files.

+ Image files

+ Video

+ RSS

+ URL’s

+ Embed HTML code from other services. Just cut and paste into HTML box.

+ Content from other Zoho Sheet and Zoho Writer (word processing).

+ Mark pages up with boxes (add text, too!), lines, shapes, etc.

+ Add files from your hard drive. For example, a PDF file.

+ Content is saved on pages that reside in “books.”

+ Publish/share entire books, pages or objects on a page the entire web. Content can also be easily embedded on other web pages/blogs/etc.

or

Share with selected people. Those you share with can be given “read only” or read/edit/add privileges.

Here’s a quick book we built demonstrating just a few of the ZN features. More to come and remember, this is a beta. In other words, everything might not work as intended at all times.

Update: Worth noting. That RSS feeds and saved web pages (that auto-refresh) will do so as long as the saved notebook page is open in a browser window or tab.
Bottom Line: Another excellent job from Zoho. I think the time is here when a library/info center/”in service” can offer an entire day of tutorials on the excellent tools Zoho provides.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 and is filed under Software and Web-Based Applications, Web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.