[Where 2.0] I saw Earthmine for the first time when it launched at DEMOFall 07: it offers a Street View-like application that has a better image quality than the Google application (at the time of launch) and provides various web 2.0 interactive tools. This street-level 3D mapping technology allows users to collect and use all kinds of geospatial data in urban environments (i.e. buildings measurements, urban inventory), which appeals to a wide range of markets including construction, engineering, architecture, real estate, infrastructure management, transportation.

To add more fun to its pretty serious offering, the company launched Wild Style City (http://www.wildstylecity.com), a virtual graffiti application that lets digital urban artists express their talent using various interactive geo-tagging tools. Wild Style City leverage earthmine's 3D mapping platform and the earthmine Flash Viewer API, which provides access to earthmine’s data library for Adobe Flash, Flex or AIR based applications (in beta). Check out the photo gallery, the demo or try it live, this application is super cool!

Nielsen has published a report that shows that 60% of Twitter users quit using the service after one month. This will of course make the day of Twitter's critics that will be quick to point out that Twitter is facing an "uphill battle", especially after the quick growth initiated by famous users like Oprah.

Even if the numbers are accurate, is this really a big problem? Sure some users are quitting, but it was true for blogging, so why wouldn't it be for micro-blogging? It would be more interesting to measure the number of tweets or even pageviews, rather than measuring "only" the number of active users. While we don't expect Twitter's retention rate to ever equal Facebook's, we think that the retention rate alone doesn't tell the whole story.

This is the kind of post that will get us banned from a couple of companies filters: SpreadTweet is basically a twitter client that look like a spreadsheet. If you look closer, you will find the usual stuff that you have become accustomed to in Twitter, but your boss won't be able to tell the difference 4 feet away. Type your replied in the top text editbox to tweet back. [Gizmodo, NYT]

We talked to Nokia about their upcoming OVI Store at Web 2.0 Expo. Nokia told us that it should launch in “early May”. It will be available as a download (a few hundred KBs) for S40 and S60 phones, but first, it will come integrated with the Nokia N97 (and then with all S40/S60 phones). The OVI store represents the combination of Nokia’s previous efforts like widsets, downloads and so on...

There is a social bias that’s not present in other stores: your (ovi) friends know what apps you have been downloading and the store will feature different apps, according to your network’s interest – but also according to your geographical location. You can indeed access everything from anywhere, but U.S users, will U.S-centric services, for example.

Nokia has made sure that OVI store is carrier-friendly. Each carrier can tailor a design and feature certain apps (making this a “deals” friendly distribution platform). For users, a unified billing system might reassure those who don’t want to provide their credit card info, or deal with micro-transactions in their statements.

[Web 2.0] Fotki, one of the largest photo sharing site with 1,3 million users, hosted an event to bring together its users offline for the first time. They organized Make up and studio photo-shooting sessions during the event and it was a lot of fun. Photos were performed by Bill Boice (www.wjb.imaging.com) and Fotki photographers. Make up was provided by Bara Krejcikova (fotologue.jp/bara) and Bianca Lucescu.

Ubergizmo was a media partner of the Fotki party, check the photo gallery; this event was super cool and more gender balanced than most of the regular tech parties :)

[Web 2.0] Fotki, one of the largest photo sharing site with 1,3 million users and over a billion media files, is organizing an event to bring together its users offline for the first time. Beside drinks specials and complimentary Hors d'Oeuvres, you will enjoy studio photo-shooting sessions by Bill Boice (www.wjb.imaging.com) and Fotki photographers. Make up will be provided by Bara Krejcikova (fotologue.jp/bara) and Bianca Lucescu.

The event registration is $5, and Ubergizmo is a media partner. Come with us at Sugar Cafe in San Francisco today @ 7 pm, and enjoy a makeover/photo session while hanging out with other fellow photography fans.

[Web 2.0] Dan Arroyo from the Forum Nokia gave me a demo of the Facebook integration in the N97. We already published a hands-on of the N97 but we did not see the applications running back then. The software is still under development and all functions are not ready yet. Check out the photo gallery to see the Facebook user interface. The"desktop YouTube website was accessible from the browser and it was cool to navigate inside the page using the finger but the internet connection on the showfloor is not great (so bad!) so we could not watch a video. No word on the exact launch time, although Nokia says "H1 2009" or the pricing.

[Web 2.0] I am heading to my first apointment at Web 2.0 with enterprise social networking solutions Igloo. Today, I will meet people from Nokia, Zoho and Nomee. Check our live site: live.ubergizmo.com for live updates from the showfloor. Check our Web 2.0 section for ongoing articles about cool products.

[Web 2.0] PupInk is a web service that allows users to generate high quality PDF layouts from web pages in one click. Websites owners can use the default PDFs templates provided by Pupink or create their own, the service charges websites 1 cent (euro) per printed page, the first thousand pages are free. Major brands are attracted by this high quality and easy to use web-to-print solution that produces marketing materials similar to brochures or magazines.

Embeddable in any website within hours, PupInk offers new advertising models for online media: ads can be displayed within the generated PDFs. PupInk is a service powered by WEDIA, the leading European software editor for content management and cross-media publishing. See examples of Pupink capabilities in the pictures: picture above, on the right the Hotel Fifty Five web page on expedia.com, on the right the PupInk PDF generated from it. After the jump, another PDF template for the same web page and the browser default printing page.

You can test the RSS-to-print feature here: select any RSS feed and transform any article in a PDF page.

[Web 2.0] Huddle.net is an online collaboration tool that combines communication, collaborative features and social networking. Huddle V2 new features include phone and web conferencing, desktop sharing and new customization options. I tested Huddle a while ago and I liked its user friendly interface that allows to easily manage projects of all kinds, share documents and communicate with a group of people. Huddle is now a member of the Microsoft BizSpark program, doubles in size every four month and is used by major organizations such as P&G, Pearson and UNICEF. Features after the jump.

[Web 2.0] The new eBay Manager Applications Beta allows third party developers to embed their applications at My eBay, where professional sellers manage their business. eBay Selling Manager tool currently has 270,000 active paying subscribers in the US which represents a large potential customer base for the upcoming third party applications. Once approved, applications will be available to eBay Selling Management Applications subscribers, the developers set the price of subscription fees and get a 80% revenue share, according to Kumar Kandaswamy, head of eBay Developers Program and Platform. UPS integrates its shipping software, WorldShip, available from the eBay Selling Manager Applications, so sellers will be able to manage shipping directly from My eBay. Other featured eBay third party applications showcased at Web 2.0 expo are:

• Terapeak is a marketing tool that provides pricing and timing trends on the eBay marketplace.
• HostedSupport is a CRM that manages sellers-buyers relation.
• ahText is an instant mobile alerts system
• Cloud Conversion provides performance feedback and sales ratings.

Started in November 2000, the eBay Developers Program has more than 87,000 members who have created over 13,500 live applications. More information about the eBay Developers Program can be found at http://developer.ebay.com/.

Developers can join the beta and begin developing their eBay Selling Manager application.

Web 2.0 attendees: check the new eBay offering at the booth 608, more information will be provided during Mark Carges, eBay's SVP of Platform and CTO, will deliver a keynote on Wednesday, April 1 at 5:00pm

[Web 2.0] DreamFace Interactive an enterprise web 2.0 apllications solutions provider, today launched DreamFace 2.0, its latest version. DreamFace 2.0 provides open source tools to build, use, and distribute widget-based "Enterprise 2.0" applications and mashups, such as Web sites, personal start pages, business analytics dashboards, interactive and social mashups, enterprise/community social networks, and enterprise applications. New features include an enhanced widget platform, a widget-based social networking framework, and mobile services. More info after the jump.

[Web 2.0] Site 9, a developer of collaborative web development software, today launched ProtoShare 3.0. New features include Rich Internet Application (RIA) simulations, a enhanced collaborative interface and speed and performance improvements.

According to the company, ProtoShare 3.0 allows website developers to quickly create an interactive prototypecontaining rich Internet functionality with the experience of a real website. Enhanced collaborative tools enable "even non-technical team members to build functioning website prototypes in a few minutes" according to Site9 co-founder and VP Business Development, Blake D. Johnson. Sony BMG uses the tool to develop countless artists websites and Kevin Murray, Senior Director, Online Production at Sony BMG Music Entertainment is very happy with its powerful collaborative and prototyping capabilities that "has reduced development time significantly". It looks good on the paper, I really want to try it!

[Web 2.0] BlueKiwi, leader in Europe for enterprise social networking solutions, launched today its mobile web interface and its SDK for widgets. Smartphones users (BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia, or Windows Mobile) will be able to participate in their BlueKiwi conversations, get BK members notifications, and access a BK address book with members' contact info. The new SDK allows custom made widgets development, and new features include a Single Sign On API providing easy and secure access from an extranet or an intranet without the need to login multiple time and the blueKiwi Office Assistant that allows to publish content directly from Microsoft Office applications.