Almost all the web-serives or apps run in a BETA stage for sometime before their actual launch. But there is an even pre stage for all projects; the LABS. Every project/service live in the labs all thorugh their developement session. It’s only after rigorous testing and bug-fixing, they come out of the labs. So, it is recommended to visit the labs once in a while, so that you get to know a glimpse of potential-next-big-things.

Almost all software firms have got their own private labs; but now, we’ll take a look at three top labs:

1. Google Labs
2. Mozilla Labs
3. Live Labs

There are many promising projects in their development stages currently at the above labs. Let’s take a look at some of them.

• Google Sets
  Automatically creates sets of items from a few examples.
  I gave the inputs : Sony, Nikon, Canon and Olympus (digital camera brands) and clicked “Create a Short List” and it intelligently gave

  panasonic

  kodak

  pentax

  fuji

  samsung

  casio

  marque

  fujifilm

  sigma

  hp

Sounds cool, huh ? Go, try it out and say your opinion about it.

• Google Mars
  In collaboration with NASA researchers at Arizona State University, they’ve created some of the most detailed scientific maps of Mars ever made. You can view the maps/satellite imageries of Mars, which were earlier exclusive to NASA.

• Personas for Firefox (Mozilla)
  Personas for Firefox is a extension that adds lightweight theming to your browser. It’s an experiment in personalizing firefox without the need to download heavy themes.

• Microsoft PhotoSytnh
  You can use Photosynth to transform regular digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree experience. Anybody who sees your synth is put right in your shoes, sharing in your experience, with detail, clarity and scope impossible to achieve in conventional photos or videos. The software is clever enough to guess the vantage point from where each photo was taken, then it places them in the right sequence.

  The Hindu on PhotoSynth:
  Imagine, you have just come back from a family holiday and your digital camera is full with dozens of photos you have taken, many in a single site — may be the Taj Mahal or the Charminar or Sentosa in Singapore. PhotoSynth allows you to stitch these ‘flat’ photos together to create a 360-degree, 3-D panorama of the spot.