I was lucky enough to get invite soe time back to the latest rage in the web2.0 world. I had read about Joost quite a while back and was trying to get an invite to use this application. Somehow i managed to get an invite (thanks to my boss) a couple of weeks back. Here is a very crude review of this new buzz in the block.

Setup
Downloading and creating the account was no hassle and i was done with this phase without any problem.

Interface
The interface of the application is clean and easy to use. I faced some initial problems on how to go around with the interface but after the initial 5 mins I was using it like a seasoned pro.

The various elements in the application like the menu and other tabs disappear after a while enabling you to view the program without any anything on the screen. if you want the controls back just click on teh screen and they would be back. Also if you exit the application while watching a channel, Joost would start from that particular point when you restart the application.

Channels
You have a decent range of channels from which you can choose. At least for me the channel listing is interesting as almost none of the channels are available in here in India. You can change channels by going to the My Channels tab on the left hand side and it will present you a list of channels you can view.

When I browsed through the list i was baffled to find a limited list. The website claims an exhaustive list of channels and partners but here was a teeny weeny list from which I had to make a choice. I guess it was the eagerness to check the application that I had missed the Channels catalog button. You do get a comprehensive list divided into various categories.

My Joost
This is the so called Social area of the application where you have a handful of widgets to make that possible. You have to switch to the full screen mode to access this section. The list consists of RSS reader (News Ticker), Instant Messenger (you can login using you Gmail or Jabber account), a clock, an invitation tool (this has been the most used widget till now), a rating tool to rate the channel you are viewing, A channel chat (to chat with people who are watching the same channel) and a Notice board.

In My Opinion

Positives
The idea of watching Television over the internet and that too FREE television ! Also getting the Channels which you cannot watch here in India is definitely a plus. This idea definitely has me hooked.

Negatives
The narrow bandwidth pipes in India literally choke when you use this application This have restricted my Joost use to office, which unfortunately I have not been doing much. The applications does not even open on the wireless network which i have setup at home. I will try to run this when the modem is hard wired to my laptop. I know the application is not made for weaker connections but i hope they find a way to overcome this in the future releases.

And if anybody wants invites to Joost please do leave a Comment to this post and i will be happy to send an invite your way.