Cloudo is the new Xindesk and looks like shaping up to be a good looking WebOS, if and when it launches.

Cloudo was previously part of Xindesk, a company that was promising a WebOS and Widget platform that we’ve mentioned in passing previously. The widget platform is now known as “Widget Plus” with the WebOS taking the Cloudo name.

Cloudo offers standard fare in terms of a WebOS, including file hosting, virtual desktop widgets, applications, email and contact management and eventually a full suite of programs you’d expect from a regular desktop Operating System. Where it excels is in appearance; offerings like AjaxWindows have a touch of ugly about them, Jooce and EyeOS try to be original. Cloudo gets the visuals right first time around, with a high quality visually appealing standard layout. Better still, if you don’t like it, Cloudo comes complete with a big range of themes, including other operating systems including various flavors of Windows, Mac and Linux so users can make themselves feel right at home.

I remember the first time I saw Cloudo when it was Xindesk and I was impressed then, but here in lies the problem. There was mention of Xindesk soon launching in the comments on this post in February 2007. When I first was pitched Xindesk in the middle of last year I was told it would be ready by the end of 2007, early 2008. Cloudo’s current status: they’re inviting more people into the alpha this week and its current release schedule has it being ready to open its doors in the last quarter of 2008. This is a product with potential that if it gets off the ground could well convert people to the cloud, however we might all get significantly older waiting for the launch, and Cloudo could be passed function wise and aesthetically by more nimble competitors while we are waiting.

Jooce, the Flash-based web desktop we covered in August with an unfortunate name (Joost, anyone?) , has opened its doors for business.

The Parisian development team behind Jooce seeks to provide the millions of people who use internet cafes everyday with a place to organize, access, and share their files online. The idea is to provide, through the browser, a desktop experience akin to that of a normal operating system, but for people who don’t possess or have access to their own computers.

Jooce not only provides cafe visitors (or anyone else, for that matter) with a place to manage their files; it serves as an area to run customized applications as well. An instant messaging program for AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo comes pre-installed, but Jooce will also eventually bring in third-party widgets from Widgetbox and elsewhere through an API. The Jooce team itself is currently developing an email client to complement its instant messaging capabilities.

There’s also a place called Jooce Top where you can make files available to all other Jooce users (with privacy settings coming in later versions). Unfortunately, this sharing and “social networking” functionality is quite primitive and doesn’t yet match the functionality of Ajax-based competitor Wixi.

There’s no cost to use Jooce and storage is unlimited, but expect to see advertisements appear in novel forms such as branded themes and interactive animations. The company may also begin providing a premium version stripped of advertisements.

The company has focused their marketing efforts on getting Jooce on kiosks and internet cafes. It has signed deals with Indian telecoms and internet service providers to spread Jooce to their user bases and install it on thousands of internet kiosks. It has also inked a deal with Milk, the biggest chain of internet cafes in France.

For other WebOS competitors, see Goowy, G.ho.st, DesktopTwo and YouOS.

New Paris startup Jooce says they are targeting the “cybercafe generation” with their new Flash-based web operating system and sharing platform.

Jooce is most like Goowy, another Flash based web OS/desktop. But Jooce is different enough to merit a closer look. They says 500 million people a day log on to the Internet from a cybercafe, and they are the target of the Jooce product. They want access to core customized applications like instant messaging, storage, media player, email and widgets. Jooce offers all of that, and is also a private sharing network among friends.

Every user has their own private desktop for IM, email, storage, etc. But they also have another desktop that friends can access and grab shared files, or drop off a file that they want to share.

The company has raised an initial seed round of financing from Mangrove Capital Partners, one of the original investors in Skype. It is currently a closed platform, but they will be releasing an API in the near future.

Jooce enters a crowded space but is targeting a clear audience. Being backed by Mangrove doesn’t hurt either.

Israel-based G.ho.st, another web OS startup that recently launched, is taking a different approach from Jooce. They’ve built some basic applications to show off the platform but are counting on third parties to do most of the heavy lifting via their API.