The Beta testing trail took us to an interesting
new private beta site called Zude. This app is
deploying cross domain drag-and-drop technology to allow users to create a unique Web
presence. This development is like a 2015 version of Netvibes, or Pageflakes on steroids.
5g’s technology has enabled
perhaps the most powerful personal expression platform I have tested. Users do not need
any technical skill to essentially drag and drop their entire Web experience onto the
Zude platform. The platform also incorporates an advanced tool set, nimble enough for
experienced coders to fine tune their creations.
Note: at the end of this review, we give you a link and access code to test out this
private beta.
5g and Zude
Fifth Generation Systems’’ (5g) founders Jim McMiel and Steve Repetti have
utilized Steve’’s decade long development of 5g to create the ultimate personal web
experience. The magnitude of this vision is obvious, because 5g is developing a platform
that will cross domains, allow total customization and essentially incorporate any Web
media into a user’’s creation. Repetti’’s unique software combined with the
FifthGen Engine in the vehicle of Zude, allow for ultra high performance integration and
the simplification of complex operations. Zude is a privately funded startup based in
Roslyn, New York and backed by $5 million in private funding.
What Does Zude Offer?
The most innovative tool in Zude is the cross domain drag-and-drop. I felt rather
foolish after testing the interface for a few hours, before Matt Wulkan Director of
Product Marketing mailed me and told me to simply drag whatever I wanted onto my pages.
Beyond this great aspect of the product, Zude enables users to utilize these
features:
Drop Zone Technology – Take images from anywhere; desktop, websites or
viewers
Drag and Drop Wallpaper – Create wallpaper from any image and customize
Add Pages – Users can build multiple pages rather than a simple online
profile
Text Boxes – Text exactly where and how a user wants it
Advanced Properties – Add borders, headers, footers, shadows and transparency
to images, text and other objects
File Manager – Add Widgets and gadgets from Zude, Google, Yahoo etc. Simple
drag and drop does it all without the need to write a line of code (unless you want
to).
Templates – Modify existing Zude templates or create and submit your own
Tag – Everything you add is an object and can be tagged for user defined
searchability
Rate – Ratings can be used to determine appropriateness, or as a measure of
popularity
Community – Zude already has an intricate community and categorized content
areas like music (featuring Amy Lee of Evanescence), Video, News, Business,
Sports, Travel, Night Life, People and others.
What Can Zude Do?
15 minutes after Matt emailed me I had Read/WriteWeb and a whole YouTube page of
surfing videos on my pages. Zude’’s home page says the service ““enhances and
extends a users online presence, empowers personalization and turbo-charges creativity”.
Indeed Zude blurs the line between desktop application and web, for either the novice or
guru. This platform has virtually every Web 2.0 tool I have tested in one form or
another, and the space is fully customizable. Object oriented sites are notoriously easy
to organize and this one combined this ability with unlimited content aggregation and
flexibility.
Testing Elements
Initially I sized new elements via the advanced properties pop-up menus, but I found
it much simpler to stretch or move them via cross domain drag-and-drop. The screenshot
below renders one of my pages after I dragged a YouTube surfing video to match my
template. Note the transparent pulldown.
The YouTube element is a functioning page, simply sized
Feel the Power
I decided to see if I could kidnap Read/WriteWeb, so the next series of screenshots
illustrate dragging the R/WW page onto my Zude page – un-scaled and followed by the fully
functional tailored version, and a pulldown I copied from the previous page. The
interesting thing about this is that theoretically every one of my sites could be added
as links, buttons or fully functioning pages in just about any configuration imaginable –
to one page or a series of pages.
Dragging R/WW into Zude
R/WW fully sized and functional
Conclusion
There are two main elements that separate Zude from Netvibes and Pageflakes. Zude is
not simply a homepage where favorites are visited and utilized, it has an unlimited depth
of possible pages and uses. Secondly, Zude uses a sophisticated and fast cross domain
drag-and-drop aspect to simplify and dynamically change the way people add content to
their pages One really amazing thing to me is that this development is still in private
beta. I can’’t wait to see what the finished product looks like.
Try it out: If you would like to test Zude, they have provided us with a link and the
access code (the letters only: zudeme) to sign
up. Be advised that Zude now supports Firefox and IE, but pop-up and cookie settings
may have to be adjusted.
