Access your desktop, anytime, anywhere...!

Saurangshu Kanunjna

Wouldn't life be simple if you weren't bothered about carrying your laptop around? In other words, how about accessing your personal desktop anywhere in this world? If gadget-free data mobility is your concern, then WebOS is a perfect antidote.

It's the new buzz word which enables you to customize your own desktop, store data and access it anywhere on the Web. It's like having your own virtual OS that can run on any Web browser.

The concept of using a WebOS is catching up fast, with more and more applications being added to provide a comprehensive desktop feel. Add to it, the serious effort to increase available data storage space for users and you have a viable option to carrying around a bulky notebook computer.

You have lots of choice as far as choosing a WebOS is concerned. You can either go for a paid version or stick to the free ones. Each has its own pros and cons. Let's take a short tour and explore what the different WebOS have to offer.

Nivio

The only one launched with tons of hype and hoopla. It's a paid site and provides you with a WinXP like environment to work on. They have added common Office applications on top of it and also allow you to install our own Windows based applications. The initial storage space is just 4 GB but it can be extended. The best part of this site is the flexibility they have on offer. For example, you may use an Office application for a specific period, and pay for that duration alone. They also provide security against viruses, spam and malware.

g.ho.st

Global Hosted Operating SysTem (g.ho.st) is a free Flash based WebOS that has a Windows like interface. It provides with applications such as an RSS reader, a notepad editor and a search tool. It also provides you with free 3 GB storage space along with option to backup your data.

YouOS

A free WebOS which provides you with a lot of applications. Chat client, file browser, word processor, RSS reader, etc all are bundled on to it by default. In terms of storage it only provides 1 GB of space, but if you're hungry for applications, then you might just sacrifice on the storage front.

Glide

This Flash based WebOS has a comparatively more attractive user interface than any free WebOS and allows you to store up to 2 GB of data. It's the only one that can be accessed from a PDA or high end mobiles. It also allows you to organize your files based on their type.

oDesktop

Another paid option, mainly for traveling executives. With an easy to use interface and storage space ranging from 5 GB to 1 TB, you surely won't complain. What it lacks however, is a word processor, IMs and spreadsheet applications.