Joyent Connector is an integrated suite of web-based applications that includes file storage, email, shared calendaring and contact facilities.
Joyent allows teams of any size to easily share all kinds of documents while staying organized, informed and up-to-date through a virtual workplace that si accessible from anywhere there is an Internet connection.
Joyent sports a clean interface and delivers a set of simple management tools to coordinate multiple email streams, calendars, address books, while also supporting RSS feeds.
There is no need to install or download anything, as Joyent Connector has no particular system requirements and it is accessible from PC, Mac and Linux computers: you only need to use a JavaScript-enabled web browser to start working on Joyent.
Joyent Connector offers a wide range of hosted plans, enabling you to open an account starting at $15 per month (and the price covers your entire team).
Here the details:
Connect Application: click the above image to enlarge it
The Joyent user interface is very intuitive thanks to its being extremely simple and highly consistent in the positioning of its controls, whether you are reading email, scheduling events, or uploading a file.
The "Connect" application ties everything together and provides access to main management area of the workspace. This is the place where all Joyent information items (mail messages, contacts, events, files) show up. Here you can also organize information items into related groups.
The Notifications list in Connect shows you all the items you have been notified about, what type of items they are, and who notified you.
Mail Application: click the above image to enlarge it
Through Joyent's "Mail" Application, you can easily access all of your mailboxes, while being provided with a handy editor for sending out new messages. Not only. A fast search feature is also available within the email facility. Joyent offers full support for the mail protocols IMAP and SMTP, allowing you to manage from it any type of email account you may already have setup.
Calendar Application: click the above image to enlarge it
Thanks to the "Calendar" application, you can organize your events into as many separate calendars as you need and share them with colleagues for collaboration. It is possible to publish your calendars in iCalendar format or in RSS format. Shared calendar subscriptions can be password-protected or made available to the public.
People Application: click the above image to enlarge it
The "People" application provides a shared database of contact and address book information. The contacts information is integrated with the rest of the Joyent suite: when adding recipients to email messages or attendees to a calendar event, you have instant access to everyone in "People" zone. Joyent supports LDAP for searching from desktop clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Apple Address Book. Skype users can click on a phone number in Joyent People to start a phone call using Skype Out.
Files Application: click the above image to enlarge it
Through the "Files" application, you can put your important documents on your Joyent Connector (storage depends on your subscription plan), and you can access them from your office, your laptop, and your home.
Integration with the other Joyent application components on the system makes it easy to deal with email attachments (both the ones you send and the ones you receive), and, with tagging allowing the association of files with calendars, events and people extremely easy and effective.
The same tags are available across the entire Joyent system, which means, for example, that after applying a tag to an email message, you can apply the same tag to events and files related to that message.
Also impressive is the fact that with a single, simple search field, Joyent Connector allows you to search across all of the information on your team's account: email, contacts, calendar events, and files.
In the same way, the Connect application allows you to create smart group collections, or specialty compilations of selected information items from across the entire Joyent software suite.
The Joyent Connector's applications enable users to leave and receive comments on just about any item: files, calendar items, even shared emails, facilitating quick feedback within the team.
Security-wise, while using Joyent Connector, all traffic to the server can be encrypted using SSL. Email traffic via IMAP and SMTP are protected by SSL, too. Even RSS feeds generated by Joyent Connector can be password-protected.
System requirements
As long as you are running a JavaScript-enabled web browser, you can use Joyent Connector. It doesn't matter if you are running Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X, or Linux.
Supported browsers are:
Pricing
Joyent Connector offers several subscription options: for a limited time, Premier and Plus hosted plans are available for a one-time payment. In this case, prices start from $399 and they change according to storage and number of users.
If you prefer to pay as you go, you can choose among the standard monthly plans, starting from $15 per month, depending on storage and number of users.
Learn more
Take a closer look at Joyent Connector by watching the demos provided on the website or the available screenshots.
You can also visit Joyent's forum for questions, help, comments, tips, and more. A brief introduction to the Joyent Connector suite of software is available.
Editor's comments
Joyent Connector is another interesting web-based application suite for team-based online collaboration similar to the likes of Goowy, Glide, Near-Time.
Joyent provides key basic applications available in similar tools (i.e. file sharing, email, calendars, address books and file storage), along with a very effective use of of RSS feeds and tags within the virtual workspace.
As valuable it is the ability that Joyent Connector provides by enabling users to initiate phone calls using Skype Out, it could be as valuable to consider the integration also of a real-time text chat facility which could further strengthen the effectiveness and range of uses for this web-based application suite.
The screencasts offered as demo on Joyent's website are not supported by a recorded audio track, which may confuse and discourage some of the less technically-oriented visitors. The only other source for guidance is the official Joyent Getting Started Guide.
