I Want Sandy is an automated e-mail assistant. You simply add "her" as an e-mail contact to get started. Sending Sandy an e-mail with a small message will have the system scan what you wrote and convert into an e-mail reminder or calendar appointment that will be sent back to you at whatever time you note. It also has been designed to work with the popular microblogging service Twitter, letting users remotely set reminders while away from their regular e-mail.
I Want Sandy works for one person or with groups. There's no special sign-up, you just CC them and the service will alert everyone at once. You can also set up how you want to be notified, either on your regular work e-mail or on your phone. The service is free and works with a variety of calendaring tools, including Google Calendar.
Winner: I Want Sandy (IWantSandy.com)Category: Productivity
Joost is a video-viewing service that runs on Windows and Mac. It was created by the founders of Kazaa and Skype and has a sizable library of free programming that's supported with small bits of advertising before and after video viewings. The service made a splash before opening up to the public by holding an extended private beta that made use of invite tokens in a similar fashion to Google's Gmail.
Now some of the excitement for Joost has faded, but the service is still a fantastic way to get access to free TV and film content. It's also got some built-in social networking features such as live user chat, a built-in blogging tool, and user created channels where Joosters can create their own video programming.
The service is expected to release a browser-based version that will let users watch Joost programming without the software later this year.
Winner: Joost (Joost.com)
Category: Video
Zillow is an online house-buying service. Instead of having to go visit houses in person you can do so online, browsing by neighborhood and narrowing down what you're looking for based on a variety of parameters. It'll do some of the legwork for you by figuring out how your house stacks up against other houses in the area, including how much it is per square foot and how much other houses sold for that were in your area.
One of the neatest features, however, is the option to ask a question to the sellers or the real estate agents. You can do so without even having to register. In turn, the service has effectively created a very large directory of real estate agents whose entire properties can be browsed, including houses they've sold in the past.
Winner: Zillow (Zillow.com)
Category: Commerce
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