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There are some apps that are abandoned through no fault of their own. The team responsible could have moved on to other projects, or a new, redesigned app may have appeared to take its place.
If you go trawling through YouTube or even find an old PC in the family office, you can find yourself transported back to a time when the only way you could use the internet was by being sat down in front of a desk, waiting for a dial-up modem to connect.
But weāre also heading into an era with the App Store and Google Play Store, where users are longing for deleted apps to make a comeback, regardless of how they may look or operate in todayās world.
Thereās a growing nostalgia for the apps we used to use every day. Whether itās to feel like weāre back at school, or just because the app was so good that weād like to use them again for our new Windows 11 and iPhone 13 devices in 2022. Windows Media Player coming back is a great example of this, and itās why there should be more comebacks for depreciated apps.
With this in mind, here are three apps that should see a return and a remake for 2022 to take advantage of the devices we use every day.
[HEADING=1]Vesper[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=āVesper app on macOSā]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/63...4UtstCpxD6.png
(Image credit: Q Branch)
This is a note-taking app that set itself apart from the rest in the productivity category at the time.
Created by Q Branch, involving Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber, the app was launched in 2013 and then discontinued in 2016. But thanks to the ability to redownload apps that have disappeared from the App Store, Vesper can still be used in 2022.
Vesperās design is classically inspired by Appleās Notes app from 2013, but in a modern vibe that still looks good in 2022.
The appās purpose is simple - to take notes. But you can also tag these notes, similar to a feature that Apple brought to its own Notes app only in 2021. You can swipe to the left to archive any notes that you donāt need, and you can re-arrange them to order the notes in a way that suits your needs.
For some reason, we werenāt able to redownload it for iPhone, but on an M1 Mac we could, and it still works great, even with a janky way to resize the window in only two ways.
You canāt sync notes to different devices as that was shut down when Vesper shut its doors, but itās a great app to use locally on your device if youāre creating one or two projects.
Since its discontinuation, the source code has been available on GitHub for someone else to make their own interpretation of the app. Using this app in 2022, we canāt help but wonder if one last hurrah should occur for Vesper. One more version where the band gets back together, much like James Bond in the mid-nineties, to be relevant again but for a new civilized age.
Even in a world where we have note apps that work similarly to WhatsApp, thereās still room for a Vesper, especially in an app world where we use to-do lists and collaborative efforts to jot things down for those personal projects.
To see a new, final Vesper with Widgets, a web version variant, iCloud sync, alongside the proverbial dark mode option, could be a great way for Q Branch to sign off and raise a glass to, and have it work for our modern iPhones again.
[HEADING=1]MSN Messenger[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=āMSN Messenger in Windows 11ā]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2M...jjBd8c39aV.png
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Between 1999 and 2009, Microsoftās messaging app was everywhere. Youād finish school and go straight to your parentsā PC to log on to MSN Messenger, to either continue a conversation from earlier or to arrange something for later that evening.
You would log in and be greeted with a list of the contacts youāve added, with many showcasing using waves of emojis and symbols placed on either side to their name for effect.
You could ānudgeā and āwinkā a friend who would be online, and you could exchange images if you wanted.
Eventually, the ability to play games with one another, alongside webcam support would be available to use, taking a strain on the 120Kbps broadband that would have been the average common internet speeds in 2003.
MSN Messenger was also arguably the first dating app before Tinder and Bumble. A small rainbow or heart next to a name would be a not-so-subtle hint on someoneās name, yet it could initiate something more in the playground the next day. Messenger had something for everyone during those times, but ironically it didnāt move to where apps were going.
Due to the rise of the iPhone and the App Store in 2008, Windows Live Messenger, as it was renamed to, dropped in usage, as everyone was starting to use WhatsApp, Facebook, FaceTime, and iMessage to communicate with one another, and Messenger was discontinued in 2014.
While you can install a version of the app in Windows 11, you can only get as far as the login screen, as the server to connect to the Hotmail server has long been depreciated.
In hindsight, Microsoft didnāt know what it had - it rode a wave that the company hasnāt had in the messaging category since. Especially when you consider how Zoom soared in use during the pandemic while Skype was left as an afterthought.
But nostalgia is starting to seep through to apps - Windows Media Player has returned to Windows 11, and currently, there are two apps by Microsoft, Teams, and Skype that both do the same function, but not as well as Zoom.
Rebooting MSN Messenger as a service for everyone, but with business features for work, could be a big boon to many.
Imagine MSN Messenger as an app for iOS and Android, alongside Windows 11, macOS, and Chromebooks. With Microsoftās aim of making apps available on as many systems as possible Messenger is the next logical step.
One that can bring back the nudges, the winks, and themes to bring the look of 2022 back, could be appealing to many, while the features are useful to others.
Microsoft is in a bind with Skype and Teams. Making a fresh start with an app that users have nostalgia for, but rebuilt for 2022, could be something that could appeal to everyone, and clear the deck of confusion that the company has carried with the two apps for a number of years now.
[HEADING=1]Google Wave[/HEADING]
This effort by Google in 2009 was a direct precursor to the Slacks and Microsoft Teams of apps that you probably use every day in 2022. The main theme of Google Wave was collaboration, with an effort to help with projects that involve many users without having to use Skype or a messaging app from back in the day, in order to collaborate in a Google Docs file.
Wave only lasted for three years between 2009 and 2012, but itās still missed by plenty of users. It was a time when Google would try out different products almost every six months, but if it didnāt quite hit the mark thereās a good chance youāre not able to use it anymore.
Google Wave worked differently from other apps, as you would have to be referred in order for your Google account to have access to Wave giving it an exclusive feel. Eventually, in 2010 it was available to everyone, so you could invite someone to a project without having to find a referral link.
This would combine Google Mail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and your contact list into one app, where you could collaborate on different projects.
While the user interface in the video department left a lot to be desired due to so much going on, it had a knack for introducing each feature and interface option in steps. After an hour or so, youād be able to use it with ease.
But Google pulled the plug on Wave in 2011, with its reasons being that too few users were using the service, even though there were signs that it was about to grow, due to the increase in social network usage at the time.
As it is with Googleās stance on abandoned projects, thereās no way of trying out a remade version of Wave in 2022 - you can only be reminded through screenshots and videos. But in a way, youāre already using them through Slack, Teams, and Google Docs collaborations.
But itās a service that should come back, as it could work well alongside Slack integration and app versions on iOS and Android.
But with Googleās focus on mobile and content, itās 50/50 as to whether it would consider a return for Wave.
[ul]
[li]Our pick of the best Macs you can buy in 2022 so far[/li][/ul]
Continue readingā¦
If you go trawling through YouTube or even find an old PC in the family office, you can find yourself transported back to a time when the only way you could use the internet was by being sat down in front of a desk, waiting for a dial-up modem to connect.
But weāre also heading into an era with the App Store and Google Play Store, where users are longing for deleted apps to make a comeback, regardless of how they may look or operate in todayās world.
Thereās a growing nostalgia for the apps we used to use every day. Whether itās to feel like weāre back at school, or just because the app was so good that weād like to use them again for our new Windows 11 and iPhone 13 devices in 2022. Windows Media Player coming back is a great example of this, and itās why there should be more comebacks for depreciated apps.
With this in mind, here are three apps that should see a return and a remake for 2022 to take advantage of the devices we use every day.
[HEADING=1]Vesper[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=āVesper app on macOSā]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/63...4UtstCpxD6.png
(Image credit: Q Branch)
This is a note-taking app that set itself apart from the rest in the productivity category at the time.
Created by Q Branch, involving Brent Simmons, Dave Wiskus, and John Gruber, the app was launched in 2013 and then discontinued in 2016. But thanks to the ability to redownload apps that have disappeared from the App Store, Vesper can still be used in 2022.
Vesperās design is classically inspired by Appleās Notes app from 2013, but in a modern vibe that still looks good in 2022.
The appās purpose is simple - to take notes. But you can also tag these notes, similar to a feature that Apple brought to its own Notes app only in 2021. You can swipe to the left to archive any notes that you donāt need, and you can re-arrange them to order the notes in a way that suits your needs.
For some reason, we werenāt able to redownload it for iPhone, but on an M1 Mac we could, and it still works great, even with a janky way to resize the window in only two ways.
You canāt sync notes to different devices as that was shut down when Vesper shut its doors, but itās a great app to use locally on your device if youāre creating one or two projects.
Since its discontinuation, the source code has been available on GitHub for someone else to make their own interpretation of the app. Using this app in 2022, we canāt help but wonder if one last hurrah should occur for Vesper. One more version where the band gets back together, much like James Bond in the mid-nineties, to be relevant again but for a new civilized age.
Even in a world where we have note apps that work similarly to WhatsApp, thereās still room for a Vesper, especially in an app world where we use to-do lists and collaborative efforts to jot things down for those personal projects.
To see a new, final Vesper with Widgets, a web version variant, iCloud sync, alongside the proverbial dark mode option, could be a great way for Q Branch to sign off and raise a glass to, and have it work for our modern iPhones again.
[HEADING=1]MSN Messenger[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=āMSN Messenger in Windows 11ā]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2M...jjBd8c39aV.png
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Between 1999 and 2009, Microsoftās messaging app was everywhere. Youād finish school and go straight to your parentsā PC to log on to MSN Messenger, to either continue a conversation from earlier or to arrange something for later that evening.
You would log in and be greeted with a list of the contacts youāve added, with many showcasing using waves of emojis and symbols placed on either side to their name for effect.
You could ānudgeā and āwinkā a friend who would be online, and you could exchange images if you wanted.
Eventually, the ability to play games with one another, alongside webcam support would be available to use, taking a strain on the 120Kbps broadband that would have been the average common internet speeds in 2003.
MSN Messenger was also arguably the first dating app before Tinder and Bumble. A small rainbow or heart next to a name would be a not-so-subtle hint on someoneās name, yet it could initiate something more in the playground the next day. Messenger had something for everyone during those times, but ironically it didnāt move to where apps were going.
Due to the rise of the iPhone and the App Store in 2008, Windows Live Messenger, as it was renamed to, dropped in usage, as everyone was starting to use WhatsApp, Facebook, FaceTime, and iMessage to communicate with one another, and Messenger was discontinued in 2014.
While you can install a version of the app in Windows 11, you can only get as far as the login screen, as the server to connect to the Hotmail server has long been depreciated.
In hindsight, Microsoft didnāt know what it had - it rode a wave that the company hasnāt had in the messaging category since. Especially when you consider how Zoom soared in use during the pandemic while Skype was left as an afterthought.
But nostalgia is starting to seep through to apps - Windows Media Player has returned to Windows 11, and currently, there are two apps by Microsoft, Teams, and Skype that both do the same function, but not as well as Zoom.
Rebooting MSN Messenger as a service for everyone, but with business features for work, could be a big boon to many.
Imagine MSN Messenger as an app for iOS and Android, alongside Windows 11, macOS, and Chromebooks. With Microsoftās aim of making apps available on as many systems as possible Messenger is the next logical step.
One that can bring back the nudges, the winks, and themes to bring the look of 2022 back, could be appealing to many, while the features are useful to others.
Microsoft is in a bind with Skype and Teams. Making a fresh start with an app that users have nostalgia for, but rebuilt for 2022, could be something that could appeal to everyone, and clear the deck of confusion that the company has carried with the two apps for a number of years now.
[HEADING=1]Google Wave[/HEADING]
This effort by Google in 2009 was a direct precursor to the Slacks and Microsoft Teams of apps that you probably use every day in 2022. The main theme of Google Wave was collaboration, with an effort to help with projects that involve many users without having to use Skype or a messaging app from back in the day, in order to collaborate in a Google Docs file.
Wave only lasted for three years between 2009 and 2012, but itās still missed by plenty of users. It was a time when Google would try out different products almost every six months, but if it didnāt quite hit the mark thereās a good chance youāre not able to use it anymore.
Google Wave worked differently from other apps, as you would have to be referred in order for your Google account to have access to Wave giving it an exclusive feel. Eventually, in 2010 it was available to everyone, so you could invite someone to a project without having to find a referral link.
This would combine Google Mail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and your contact list into one app, where you could collaborate on different projects.
While the user interface in the video department left a lot to be desired due to so much going on, it had a knack for introducing each feature and interface option in steps. After an hour or so, youād be able to use it with ease.
But Google pulled the plug on Wave in 2011, with its reasons being that too few users were using the service, even though there were signs that it was about to grow, due to the increase in social network usage at the time.
As it is with Googleās stance on abandoned projects, thereās no way of trying out a remade version of Wave in 2022 - you can only be reminded through screenshots and videos. But in a way, youāre already using them through Slack, Teams, and Google Docs collaborations.
But itās a service that should come back, as it could work well alongside Slack integration and app versions on iOS and Android.
But with Googleās focus on mobile and content, itās 50/50 as to whether it would consider a return for Wave.
[ul]
[li]Our pick of the best Macs you can buy in 2022 so far[/li][/ul]
Continue readingā¦