Vysr is a small browser plugin with a big ambition – to become a platform for web services and applications.
The Silicon Valley start-up took a significant step towards achieving that this week when it opened up its platform to third-party developers.
Vysr is a toolbar with a difference. It appears vertically in the bottom-right of the browser when needed and is contextually aware.
This means it can offer a translation or a definition of some highlighted text on a web page, a sample of music from a highlighted artist or a comparison from eBay of cameras on offer matching the one you may be looking at on Amazon.com.
Guda Venkatesh, chief executive, used to work at Bell Labs and then was an entrepreneur in the mobile phone sector. He says he found it difficult to sell to carriers and moved over to the Web in 2006 to develop Vysr.
He compares web browsing to being tethered to a landline phone, where users are tied to going to websites to get their information. Vysr is more user-centric, he says – they can get applications to come to them through its toolbar.
Developers may have a jaundiced view of developing applications for Vysr – there are so many widgets and applications out there already developed for Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, the iPhone and social networking services.
Mr Venkatesh insists there is still enthusiasm. He says there is a rush to create initial applications for a new platform as many developers feel their work becomes lost among the thousands of applications available for a service like Facebook.
Vysr expects to make money from contextual advertising and licensing the toolbar for media companies and others to brand it with their own services.
With capabilities including Voice over IP, there are plenty of possibilities, including instant messaging and voice chat and connections to all the popular social networks.
