Bitconscious

The web 2.0 applications which implement the phone book’s functions, calendar, to do list and other personal interest activities are now innumerable. But in this group there are some things that appear thanks to specific concerns, for the pleasantness and use of user interfaces and for the numerous features made available.

Plaxo is my favourite and now let’s see its characteristics.
Registering for the service is very simple, all it takes is to fill in one’s personal data, choose a nickname and password and then choose either the free version or buy the complete version. For obvious reasons, I chose the first.

In the non-free version, the user has backup functions available, access to the website even through mobile phones, 24/7 support and discounts for other services but I believe the basic package satisfies most of the user’s needs.

Once you have completed the registration, the system suggests a simple wizard to configure the platform and you begin by completing your own user profile so that afterwards you can choose the on-line services with which you can become synchronised.

Plaxo is able to synchronize itself with Yahoo, Google, Outlook, Outlook Express, Hotmail etc. both with our contact list and with the scheduled meetings.
Once we complete this stage, we can settle in with the user interface which shows up with luminosity in pure 2.0 web style.

Our contact list appears on the left side equipped with search and autocompletion, we can add more contacts and complete the existing profiles with new features. In the nearby tab, we can find the omnipresent “tasks” so that we can add activities to our to do list.

Take note! It is possible to choose one’s own favourite language when registering, Italian for example is present but it is disabled, perhaps because it is about ready on a springboard, so Anglophobes need to wait a while. It must be said that the interface’s simplicity makes it a lot easy to complete all the operations even for those who aren’t familiar with foreign languages.

The central part of the interface displays the calendar which shows worldwide events such as the American Independence Day or the French storming of the Bastille, besides the list of your meetings. It is possible to add other events simply by clicking on the day in question and by filling in the form that is displayed, even this one is in lightbox modality which is by now considered a standard de facto.

The tab pulse is very interesting and made for the publication of all the material that our network frees in public. Starting from Flickr which allows us to visualize on this page our friend’s galleries, indicating the new images.

We are able to see Plaxo’s profile updates included in our network and to add other sources derived from RSS feed, Amazon wish list etc. For each of these sources it is possible to select the visibility (all, some, private).

After all, Plaxo appears very stable, trustworthy and fun besides the unfailing BETA stamp which distinguishes every 2.0 web project and allows you to centralize all your data in a unique repository, accessible through any browser or through your own mobile phone.

…and now you’re a bit more conscious!

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