Company

SocialCalendar

20-Word Description

People use SocialCalendar to get their social life together - birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, get-togethers, other social occasions and associated gift-giving.

CEO’s Pitch

SocialCalendar makes it easy to manage and remember important social occasions like birthdays, holidays, and other get-togethers through event reminders, and allows users to share these dates with friends and family. In association with Amazon, SocialCalendar also takes the guessing out of gift-giving, helping users give (and receive) the perfect gift for any occasion. Users can browse for millions of gift ideas and items can be one-click added to wish lists without ever leaving the SocialCalendar page. Friends and family who receive event reminders can select the gift they want to purchase directly from the included wish lists without having to navigate to a new site – or go to the mall.

Almost 3 million Facebook users have added the application, and tens of thousands more sign up every day.

Mashable’s Take

SocialCalendar is a Facebook and Bebo application that pretty much does what you think: manages your social activities, birthdays, parties and appointments. However, there are some nice unexpected features that pop up. For example, the app doesn’t just list scheduled dates of events, but actually allows you and the other people involved to collaborate on the best time and date that works for everyone’s schedule. This reduces the need for excessive emails and phone calls back and forth, as well as the risk of miscommunication, ensuring higher attendance for the activity.

There’s also a wish list feature (from Amazon) that lets you know what presents others want, which helps a lot when it comes to gift giving ideas. This eliminates guessing games and reduces the odds of giving bad gifts. It helps your chances of getting what you want too. There’s an option that lets you see which gifts your friends and family will get for you, but you can turn it off if you like surprises.

SocialCalendar does a lot more than I expected from a social networking application. The only complaint I have is that in order to make full use of its services you have to connect to Facebook or Bebo. While that isn’t a big deal for most apps and games, that isn’t the case when it comes to time management tasks. In these hectic times with crazy schedules we need to be able to access this information anytime, anywhere.

Being tethered to any social networking site isn’t convenient. However, maybe that will change thanks to mobile devices such as the iPhone that allow us to access services we couldn’t access previously. Ultimately, I would have liked SocialCalendar much more if it were a full-blown service outside of any particular social network.

Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Startup Essentials. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Localreuse lets you browse free things up for grabs in your area.

You might remember Gigoit, a service we covered early last year. Much like Freecycle it's set up to let you get rid of, and browse through other people's junk. The site is littered with things like old lawn mowers, television sets and anything else that was once useful and is now taking up space.

Up until now the only way to get the directory was to go through the site or use the service's Facebook app, however there's a new iPhone app called LocalReuse that lets you see which of these items is nearby based on where you are.

To get started you just plug in your zip code and how far you're willing to schlep to pick things up. There wasn't anything within 10 miles of my house, so I had to expand my coverage area. Half the fun is just perusing what other people have laying around, which is made even better with small photo previews (see the photo to the right).

Once you've found something you like you can call "dibs" which kicks you off to the item's page on Gigoit.org. It's not the ideal way to do things, but it's a much simpler affair than trying to navigate Gigoit's site in Safari.

There are a few improvements that would really make this application shine. In future versions I'd like to see it make more use of the device's hardware to include things like posting new items using the camera, or using the geo-positioning to figure out where you are instead of requiring you to enter in zip codes. Likewise, there's currently no tie-in with Gigoit accounts, which would help facilitate messaging other people without having to leave the application. In the meantime it's still a handy app to hold on to, if only to check a city's junk scene while traveling.

Experience the sensations and mind twisting perceptions you get by ingesting psychotropic drugs - without the harmful side-effects - using a cool new app from Reality Jockey, Ltd.

Available today on the AppStore, the free single release and the $2.99 album release of RjDj will amaze and amuse you with its combination of built-in soundscapes and the unique contribution your personal reality brings to the party.

Using the microphone of your iPhone, RjDj takes the sounds of whatever ambient environment you find yourself in and morphs them into the single built-in track on the free version, or into one of six tracks on the album version, to both create and influence the music you hear.

The program also allows you to record the unique sensations you have while walking through the city, sitting with friends at a cafe, or playing with children in the garden, which you can save and listen to like a normal music track. Well, maybe not normal, but the effects are stunning, sometimes jarring, nonetheless.

In a world of one-off apps available for the iPhone, RjDj is one I could see going back to again and again.

Zoho Mail, out of private beta testing, works on the Apple iPhone.

(Credit: Zoho)

Zoho made some significant changes to a core part of its cloud-based application suite Friday: its online mail application now works offline and with Apple's iPhone, and the beta test is now publicly available.

The offline and mobile features are major areas of development for Web-based applications, and cloud computing advocates including Zoho, Yahoo, and Google are racing to build in those features. Offline access helps ameliorate Web-based applications' limitations when no network is available, and mobile access helps fulfill one of the big promised advantages of Web applications: access your documents any time you do have network access.

Offline access, which in Zoho's case is enabled with Google's Gears technology, lets people read and write mail in the browser even when not connected to the network. "Zoho Mail automatically detects your connectivity and switches to online/offline modes seamlessly. While offline, you can respond to your emails as you would normally. When you go back online these emails will be sent out from your outbox," the company said Friday in an announcement.

Easier said than done, perhaps: I just got an indefinite "Loading..." message in both Google Chrome and in Gears-enabled Firefox when trying to access my mail after I shut off my network.

(Update 10:30 a.m. PDT: I thought I'd gone through the offline settings properly, but evidently I hadn't. It does in fact work, mostly, caching messages on my PC and automatically adapting according to whether there's a network. I could write new mails, though Zoho Mail only saves them to the draft folder instead of queuing them up to be sent. And when I tried to reply to an e-mail, I got the error message, "Sorry, this feature is not supported while you are offline!")

And mobile support, while difficult given the primitive state of most mobile devices' Web browsers, can also help when people don't have access to a PC or a Wi-Fi network. "We do plan to support other mobile devices soon," Zoho said. The application worked fine on my iPhone.

Zoho Mail can be accessed with other e-mail clients using the POP (Post Office Protocol) today; the more powerful IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) support is "coming soon."

It has no storage limits or ads. Users can opt to organize mail with either labels, a la Gmail, or Folders, a la Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. And back-and-forth exchanges can be viewed either with Outlook's conventional style or Gmail's conversation view. Also adopted are some Outlook keyboard shortcuts, such as Control-Enter to send a message. The application worked for me, though I missed Yahoo Mail's drag-and-drop abilities and Gmail's stand-out filtering options.

People who sign up for the e-mail get a "username@zoho.com" e-mail address. And through the AdventNet subsidiary's business offering, customers can use Zoho Mail with their own domain.

Zoho's Web-based e-mail client uses Google's Gears to enable offline access to messages. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: CNET News)

The voting period for the BOSS Mashable Challenge ends Sunday, October 12th at 11:59 pm PT. So far, we have received over 2,500 votes. On Tuesday, October 14th, Mashable and Yahoo will verify the voting data and confirm the winners. The Grand Prize winner will receive $2,000 and an exclusive article on Mashable about their mashup. The runner up will receive $1,000 and Yahoo! and Mashable’s Kudos. The top 10 include: PlayerSearch, Tall Street, Surf Canyon, iMusicMash, CopyrightSpot, Socialmention, TuneChimp, PopGist, and Kallout. You can read the full descriptions at the submissions showcase page or read the brief descriptions below. Good luck!

Voting is also secured by PollDaddy’s IP & Cookie security in a strong effort to thwart any attempts at spamming the system. Duck Duck Go has been removed due to an obvious attempt at gaming the system.

Player Search
Brief description from developer: “Player Search is a vertical search engine for sports that searches local and national news, video, photos, stats and more for content targeted to individual athletes.”

Tall Street
Brief description from developer: “Tall Street is a new search engine concept where you get to rank the results”

Surf Canyon
Brief description from developer: “Using BOSS, Surf Canyon accelerates the search experience on Yahoo!, enabling you to find relevant information buried in the results.”

iMusicMash
Brief description from developer: “iMusicMash is an iPhone social web application, which brings life to your music experience.”

CopyrightSpot
Brief description from developer: “CopyrightSpot allows you to discover all the spots where your licensed and unlicensed original content lives on the web.”

Socialmention
Brief description from developer: “Social Mention allows you to track conversations about you, your company, a new product, or any topic across the web’s social media landscape.”

TuneChimp
Brief description from developer: “TuneChimp is the easiest way to discover the best music from any artist!”

PopGist
Brief description from developer: “PopGist develops the novel search ranking algorithm based on auto discovered and topic focused expert pages, and the innovative result presentation interface with discussion threads”

Kallout
Brief description from developer: “Search is trapped inside the browser. KallOut sets it free. Get results in context over any website or Microsoft Office.”

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Related Articles at Mashable | All That's New on the Web:

Announcing the Yahoo! Search BOSS Mashable Challenge ($3,000 in prizes)
Call for Video Submissions for Enterprise 2.0 LaunchPad - Deadline is Tomorrow!
Mazda3 Concept Car Contest on Facebook
PopGist
Voting Round for the BOSS Mashable Challenge
TuneChimp
Tall Street

The Town Hall event scheduled for next Tuesday, is invitation-only, meaning that not everyone would be welcomed. But you can be rest assured that Sizlopedia would be on the case. It is expected that Apple may be unveiling a new product on this event. But which one is it going to be?

There had been a lot of rumors lately, of different Apple products coming into existence. It all started off with some mock-ups of an expected MacBook touch, a multi-touch tabled based on the Mac platform. While no such confirmation came from Steve’s Co., a new set of rumors surfaced about a product code-named ‘brick’, which was later believed to be a manufacturing process rather than a new product.

The third set of rumors were about the new Macbook Pro, with some really convincing images. While the images still look pretty much authentic, nothing can be said for sure until Apple itself gives the official word. Apple did surprise us last month with the new line of iPod Touch, so we can expect similar surprises from them this time on.

One new rumor that has popped up is that a lower priced version of the MacBooks would be unvieled with some sources even claiming it to be as low as $800. With Apple’s stock dropping 40% in the last month, they badly need a move like to get back in the game. Until the event, nothing can be said for sure, but you can rely on us to keep you updated every step of the way.

© 2008 Sizlopedia All Rights Reserved

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There’s a Show in IMAP checkbox next to each of your labels there, if you uncheck that box and the corresponding folder will disappear from IMAP.

You can also choose:

• Which labels to sync in IMAP
• Turn off trash messages

The IMAP allows users to mark messages for deletion, and that’s sort of a limbo state where a message is still present in the folder but waiting to be deleted. Whereas most IMAP systems do not follow Gmail’s concept of deleting from the folder right away.

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Related Articles at Startup Meme:

1. Apple iPhone 3G - The second generation iPhone is a perfect combination of form and function, incorporating the latest, speediest 3G networking technology, with Sat Nav, Geo Tagging and a choice of 8GB or 16GB of on board storage, the iPhone is the current must-have gadget
2. Samsung BlackJack II - In an arena previously ruled by the BlackBerry, Samsung has managed to steal back some of the smart phone market, with this phone powered by Windows Mobile 6 and with 3G technology, it`s the ideal phone for the business type on the move
3. AT&T Tilt - Something for the technophile teenage population, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, a tilting touchscreen which is all the rage at the moment and a hiden keyboard for lightening texting
4. LG VU - One of the first mobile phones capable of receiving and displaying Mobile TV services, this phone is aiming to fill the niche in the video and audio streaming market
5. Pantech C610 - A small phone but bursting with impressive new features, including the all important 3G and GPS navigation, along with instant messaging and mobile video services.
6. MOTORAZR V3xx - The big boy of the previous generation of fashion phones is back with 3G networking capabilities and a range of new stylish designs and ultra thin size
7. LG Shine - Some would argue a phone for the vain, this elegant slide action phone features a mirror like display that the phone`s screen shines through as if by magic, and is packed with multimedia features, focusing on camera and music capabilities
8. Sony Ericsson W580i - From the walkman range of phones by Sony, this is obviously geared towards the music market, with rich mp3 functionality and FM radio receiver
9. Nokia 6555 - Video playback, music storage and 3G technology make this Nokia a great mid-range choice of phone
10. BlackBerry Pearl 8110 - Built in GPS helps make this phone stand out from the current crowd and has features of phones in higher price brackets. The lack of 3G is a hindrance however

Choosing a phone may be hard, but sorting through the mobile phones deals offered by the main networks is probably harder. It`s best to think about how much you use your phone and whether you really care that it can receive GPS and Mobile TV, as well as considering how long you want to commit to a contract for, and most are over a year, and you will pay more for your handset if you are unwilling to commit. Shopping around and comparing is essential.

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