My no 3 web wish for 2009: Ubiquity changing the way I use the Internet
Whenever I find a new cool web service, I have to grab the closest sitting colleague and tell about this exciting discovery (this is actually a documented deficiency of mine). Mozilla Labs' Ubiquity, launched in August last year, is one of these. When launched it was called "an experiment into connecting the Web with language".
So what is Ubiquity? Well, it aims to simplify the creation of web mash-ups in Firefox. Still not clear, huh?! I'll try to describe it is by how I use it.
I'm a shortcut geek, always looking to decrease the amount of times I reach for the mouse and the amount of keyboard keys I press. For example, several times a day I update my status on services like Twitter, Jaiku and Facebook. Every time I do this (using the update service Hellotxt), Ubiquity saves me from reaching for the mouse and decreases the amount of keys pressed by simplifying my update process. Check out the video below to see how this is done (click through if you read this in an RSS reader).
Other ways I use Ubiquity is to insert maps when writing e-mail using Gmail (video of how this is done) and shortening URL's using Tinyurl. If you are into torrents sites, Ubiquity can help you do a simultaneous search using three different search engines in three different tabs.
While these examples might not be the kind that knock you off your chair, the possibilities of the service should. Mozilla's head of user experience, Aza Raskin, was interview by Techradar and was asked what Ubiquity will be like in 2012.
By 2012, most of your interactions with the web will be centred around your task, instead of the page you happen to be at. When the browser understands who your friends are, and what your preferences are (all, of course, without having to teach your browser explicitly), the tedious parts of getting to information will go away. What's left will be the core of the activity.
You'll be able to say things like "get me a flight on Thursday to Toronto, returning next Tuesday and email the itinerary to the Toronto office" and the browser will be able to present you with options, sorted by metrics based on your previous trips.
The service is in early beta (0.1.5), but I already have high hopes for Ubiquity to change the way I interact with large parts of the web. Hopefully already during this year.
PS: Check out my first two web wishes for 2009:
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Comments to this article
You are absolutely right - user friendlyness is a must. But already 0.1.5 made it a lot easier to handle, I think.
Nice service. Maybe not user friendly but geeky cool. It will probably mature and become even better.
Glad that you enjoy this fantastic piece of innovation. The Mozilla foundation also has high hopes for this - it's not only an add on, it's a complete new way to interact with web pages by "talking" to your browser.
Ubiquity : a nice wish for 2009 :)
Let's just make it more user-accessible (still way too geeky), and it could indeed change the way you use the internet.