Thing 16

If I ever actually used homepages, the Start page might be useful. Personally, I just type my search into the URL bar, which defaults to a Google search for my chosen browser, Chrome.

I messed around with the NetVibes start page for a while and found a few useful devices to put on my page, like a to-do list and a calendar. However, the only other thing I found useful to place on the page was websites. I can make a favorites list without having to load an entire webpage, so that feature is pretty much useless. The tiny box of text is displays for each website is nigh useless for each of them. However, if you are the type that likes to go to Google.com to type your search into the search bar itself, I could imagine one of these tools being useful. I'll not be using any of these start pages.

However, I can imagine how a person with many devices might be a little more enthusiastic about these online devices. Your favorites list doesn't follow you around unless you've memorized it; which I have. The calendar and favorite sites are saved online, as opposed to your computer and so you can access it from anywhere on any device.

Personally, these tools are not useful for me because I already have them in some form or another. However, I could imagine my grandmother or wife using them, as they seem to appeal to "one stop shoppers" (my wife) or people who are less technically inclined (my grandmother).