One of my favorite Web apps got an upgrade recently, and this morning I had a chance to test it out. Cooliris has added a browser plug-in to replace the default full-screen app launch it’s had to date. I’ve played with Cooliris on and off for the past ten months, and while I love the interface, it rarely occurs to me to launch the application for browsing. That could change now that there’s no separate application to launch, just a Firefox (or IE, or soon-to-be Safari) tab.
ReadWriteWeb covered the update in detail, which includes other features like hyperlinked metadata for Flickr. However, perhaps the one note left out is how this (hopefully) sets up Cooliris for integration with new sites. I am firmly convinced that Cooliris has the interface for online shopping. If the technology was officially integrated with, say, Zappos, where someone could click on the nifty Cooliris button to bring up a 3D wall of shoes, I believe awareness of and demand for the app would skyrocket. Not to mention, it could potentially drive new revenue for online vendors. In an Apple iPhone world, where the importance of user interface has been significantly elevated, Cooliris should be in its glory.