PageFlakes – Personalized AJAX start page with lots of customization

Posted on January 4, 2008 at 7:05 am

When you open your browser window, what’s the first page that shows up? Do you have a customized or personalized start page or do you simply load up Google or Yahoo? For hardcore Yahoo users, this used to make sense because you can quickly access the latest news, check your email and view your calendar. Even Google has it’s own customized start page called iGoogle, where you can add iGadgets to get more functionality.

However, my favorite start page so far has been PageFlakes. I’m not really sure why I like it so much, but I’ve tried the others and have always stuck with PageFlakes. PageFlakes allows you to personalize the web by adding all kinds of cool stuff to your home page.

I guess the reason I like it so much is that it’s super easy to add stuff to your start page, there are lots of useful items you can add such as weather, personal email, web searches, news, etc, and it has a really nice interface! I’m not a really big fan of iGoogle and it’s new themes, I was hoping for something a little more classy looking. Here’s what iGoogle looks like compared to Pageflakes:

Now you tell me which one looks better! Now I’m a techie type of person, so I don’t just use stuff because it looks better. I find that PageFlakes has a lot more useful gadgets to add to my home page than Google does. For example, the top “flakes” when you click the add button include things like a Netflix flake, where you can keep track of your queue and which DVDs were shipped, etc and FedEx package tracking, a nice gadget that lets you track packages from your start page!

When you click on Hottest or Most Users for iGoogle gadgets, you get Google News, CNN.com, Movies, Quotes and a few more not-so-surprising items. They are pretty usual gadgets with nothing very special about them.

PageFlakes also has a crap more themes that you can use and many different layouts that you can choose from to make your start page look exactly the way you want!

Not only that, but you can create your own themes in Pageflakes if you want! You can also create and browse what are called Pagecasts, a start page that is for a specific topic. For example, there may be a Yoga Pagecast which will contain Videos, New, Pictures, Music, Blog posts, and tons more just about Yoga! It’s a really cool way to get a lot of information about one topics across many media outlets all in one place!

If you’re big into reading RSS feeds from lots of sites, you can also import your OPML file and keep up to date with the latest posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add your favorite podcasts to Pageflakes and listen to them directly from the start page!

If you don’t already have a start page or you’re not completely happy with the one you have now, definitely make sure to check out Pageflakes as they have the most gadgets and the best layout/design. Enjoy!

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Comments

6 Responses to “PageFlakes – Personalized AJAX start page with lots of customization”

Anatoly said on : January 4th, 2008 at 7:38 am

I tried both pageflakes and igoogle. For some time I used them both, using the multi homepage option in firefox.
In my opinion igoogle is a much more better choice. The design is better and also the gadgets. I don’t put news on my homepage – I have google reader for this. I simply didn’t find anything I need that was available only on pageflakes.

akishore said on : January 4th, 2008 at 9:25 am

Anatoly, that’s funny how we both came to exactly the opposite conclusions! I find Pageflakes to have better gadgets and a better looking start page. Anyone use any other start page for their browser?

Philip M. said on : January 4th, 2008 at 10:56 am

I was using goowy, but now i use pageflakes. i think its ok.

Madhur Kapoor said on : January 6th, 2008 at 8:13 am

I am using iGoogle but will give it a try.

df said on : January 18th, 2008 at 2:48 pm

Hi everybody!!!

A good example of Web 2.0 : http://www.uStart.org …
this website is designed for pepole who wants to have all informations like RSS, podcasts , weather , mails , dates of tv series , notes , etc… in the same page! Everything is customizable (bloc position, skins, … a real Web 2.0 page!)
I use it everyday
Enjoy!

Paul said on : October 15th, 2008 at 6:04 am

I used to use Pageflakes.

Then they forced a “sponsored Content” box on your page.

Thanks, but no thanks.