New Media Picks Of The Week: Sharewood Picnic 51

1. Text-to-speech application enables your website to translate text into audio
2. Web-based karaoke application allows users to sing, record, and playback their favorite songs
3. Instant messenger with video enables you to make voIP calls and share your screen across the Internet


Created with:Spell with Flickr

4. Media sharing platform enables you to post your digital content and promote your artwork
5. Mobile messaging service allows instant group communication via SMS
6. Audio messaging platform that you can embed into your web site to record and broadcast voice messages
7. Web-based application suite accessible from any web browser
8. Online service creates web links to files stored on your computer
9. Web office suite allows you to quickly create documents via a web browser
10. Online spreadsheet editor allows you to share your files and edit them in real-time
11. RSS feeds generator enables you to create feeds from any web page in few clicks
12. File hosting provider allows you to store images, videos, audio and flash files
13. Automatic generator of image-phrases (see Robin Good image above) takes in your text input and gives it back to you as a collage of letters photographed in different scenarios.

Sharewood Picnic is my weekly selection of new media gems found along my explorations during the past seven days. Many are new tools that have just been launched and are ready for you to take for a test drive.

You are welcome to test, download and freely use any of the tools listed here below. They are all powerful digital weapons to start more actively participating in the user-driven publishing revolution I am chronicling.

1. ReadSpeaker
   
   
   
   ReadSpeaker XT is a server-based product that speech-enables your website for the benefit of people who would like to listen as well as read. ReadSpeaker XT is available in the most spoken languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Italian, Dutch, Norwish, Brazilian, Japanese). ReadSpeaker XT does not require any downloads, installation or plug-ins of software and works on Windows, Mac, Linux and SUN. ReadSpeaker XT supports most browsers including Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Safari, Mozilla and Lynx. Free of charge for the user. No prices available on the website.
   
   http://www.readspeaker.com/





2. kSolo
   
   kSolo is a web-based application that allows users to sing, record, and playback their favorite songs. KSolo presents high audio and recording quality with the most advanced sharing capabilities available today. The kSolo multi-featured online player, delivers popular lyrics, recording and sharing capabilities - all you need is a microphone and speakers. Other functions include listening to audio version, instrumental versions and more. Free to use.
   http://www.ksolo.com/





3. iGlance
   
   iGlance is an instant messenger with video feature that allows you to make voIP calls and share files across the Internet. iGlance also provides you with the ability to show your screen -- all at once or a window at a time -- to a buddy over the internet. You can also decide to interact with your buddy by giving him control over your mouse and keyboard. iGlance is free to use and currently works only on the Windows OS.
   http://iglance.com/





4. Bolt
   
   Bolt is a platform for sharing your media files with friends and family, or a public showcase for promoting your artwork. You can upload and share your videos, photos, audio recordings and text files, which will be all accessible on your profile page. You are allowed to post content from Bolt to any online profile (MySpace, Xanga, Blogger, etc.). You can also categorize and tag your content with keywords or track your latest updates on Bolt through RSS. Bolt is free to use.
   http://www.bolt.com/





5. txtGroups
   
   txtGroups is a mobile messaging service that allows instant group communication via SMS. Once you register, you can join groups and create your own to instantly connect with friends, family and business clients. After creating a group, you will only need to send one SMS to a specific number and txtGroups will deliver it to the whole group. You can create public groups and private groups. Alerts and group messages you receive on your mobile phone or device from the txtGroups service cost $0.25. Standard wireless carrier fees may apply for sending text messages to the txtGroups service. The txtGroups service is active across Canada, with plans to launch in the United States within 2006. Free sign up.
   http://www.txtgroups.com/





6. YackPack
   
   YackPack is an audio messaging platform that you can embed into your website to record and broadcast voice messages created either by you or by your visitors. The public version version of YackPack, called "YackCasting", allows a group of people to create messages anyone can hear online. Those who want privacy, such as families and businesses, are allowed to set up private voice chats. YackPack is free to use.
   http://yackpack.com/index.html





7. YouOS
   
   YouOS is a web-based application suite that works within a web browser. YouOs provides a word processor, an integrated instant messenger, an organizer offering text message reminders and several video games. YouOS works with Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.0.7, and Firefox 1.5 on Windows and Firefox 1.5 on Mac. Free to use.
   https://www.youos.com/





8. Zingee
   
   Zingee is a service that lets you make web links to files on your computer. You can give these web links to friends and colleagues and they can get the files directly from your computer. They just click the link, a browser window opens and they download the file like from a web server. If you want to share a file, you just need to drag and drop the file into Zingee and it's done. You can send the links out via email, IM or on web sites. Your computer must be connected to Zingee to allow people download your files. Zingee requires Windows XP with .Net Framework 1.1. Zingee is completely free to use.
   http://zingee.com/





9. gOFFICE
   
   gOFFICE is an online office suite that allows customers to quickly create documents via a web browser. Users are provided with a word processor, a desktop publishing tool and a spreadsheets creator. Microsoft Word import and export coming very soon, along with an application to create presentations. gOFFICE is totally free to use.
   http://goffice.com/





10. EditGrid
    
    EditGrid is a service that allows you to edit, store and access your spreadsheets from any computer with a browser. You can import from and export to common formats, including MS Excel, CSV, Gnumeric and OpenOffice's Calc. EditGrid supports Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla FireFox (Safari coming soon). Free to use.
    http://www.editgrid.com/home





11. Ponyfish
    
    Ponyfish is a web-based tool that allows you to create your own RSS feeds from any web page. All you have to do is simply point Ponyfish to the web page you want to create a feed from, then follow a few steps to setup which types of links you want to include in the feed. The basic service is free. There is also a premium plan that allows you to put advertising and use Ponyfish on a commercial site.
    http://www.ponyfish.com/





12. zSHARE
    
    zSHARE is a free image, video, audio, flash and file hosting provider, and it's mainly used to share files that are too big to be sent via e-mail. With zSHARE you can host files as long as they are downloaded by other people. You can upload files up to 100MB and you are provided with unlimited downloads feature. zSHARE is completely free to use.
    http://zshare.net/





13. Spell with Flickr
    
    Spell with Flickr is a web-based tiny program that requests users to type in whatever they want to, then matches each letter of that word with letter pictures grabbed from Flickr (you can see an example by looking at the key image of this Sharewood Picnic). If you don't like the images that come back, just click on each individual image to change it. Free to use.
    http://metaatem.net/words/