Hi, I'm Evan Jones and welcome to 360desktop.
To help understand 360desktop, where we've come from and where we're going - here is some background.
360desktop started life in 2003, as an idea for a desktop viewer - a great way to view panoramic photos. The idea had evolved from the virtual tour software space - I founded IPIX in Australia and also 360degrees (http://www.360dof.com).
While the original 360desktop was nice eye candy, it didn't add much user value. So took the panoramic desktop idea and extended it into a "virtual 360-degree desktop", allowing users to pan around their open applications and windows.
As Flickr, Photobucket, and others, as well as panoramic photography and virtual tours, started to grow and then take off, it was obviously important that anyone could create, share and showcase their own 360 wallpaper content.
The rise of the multimedia mash-up was the driver of the product's next development phase: the ability to embed and deliver any web content into the background of the 360; the desktop as an interactive canvas.
Widgets came next : while desktop widgets were the beginning, it was web widget distribution across the social networks and blogs that's given rise to (we think) one of the biggest opportunities in the widget space.
As an everyday widget user, you can't easily save and use your favorite web widgets, independent of your social network page or blog. How can I grab just the pieces of the web that I want, without having to bookmark, save and short-cut whole pages?
Next the $64,000 question - what is the business model? How do we generate revenue while "being nice"?
We will always keep the product free for users, content creators and developers. We will charge brand partners a fee when you (and other users) download and use the branded 360 content and widgets they create (but never pop-up ads, ever). If you like the brand, or find the 360s they create interesting, entertaining or useful, please download them. If not, then don't - it's your decision.
OK, so this is where we're at now - a great start, but a long way to go.
Over the coming weeks and months, look out for a whole heap of new and fun stuff - great content from the 360 community, and our publisher and brand partners - and beyond that - 360 Apps.
But stay tuned, enjoy and please, we want and need your feedback - it drives us and we do listen!
Thanks
Evan
CEO/Founder 360desktop
evan (dot) jones (at) 360desktop (dot) com