Can it be themes?

I just started blogging. Check out a funny post IMO about IE7 user interface: http://gudbergur.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/ui-ie7-information-bar/

I posted it earlier but forgot to open access to the blog, doh! :p

An A/B testing tool?...

Or a CSS gallery :-)

It looks like some kind of portfolio app. I hope I am wrong though.

I would guess something to do with video management. It looks like you have 4 whatevers across the top and then possibly the same 4 whatevers slightly larger down below in a 2×2 grid format. The lower left is the first from the set across the top and top right is the last from the set across the top.

You know, I’d say the bottom right isn’t a video. It’s too tall. Videos, like paper and lots of other things, use the golden rectangle for their proportions and the bottom left item just doesn’t fit.

So…(updated guess) some new kind of file management that includes video and images? Perhaps the images are really thumbnails for web sites or simply other pages within one of your products. You guys did say you were working on a single sign-on / account system to be integrated across your various products. Could this be a kind of dashboard for that? An overview of existing 37signals accounts?

[edit – 2nd paragraph should read bottom LEFT in the first sentence.]

You know since this came up it would be nice to be able to edit inline after posting comments, no?

Given you brought out your usability reviews from the archives not too long ago, and this screen shot contains what looks like online catalogs, I’d reckon you’re returning to something that mimics or is related to that service once again.

Ooh, ooh, a crumb! Thank you benevolent masters! We’re not worthy!

Listen, this power trip is not becoming. I would much rather you treated your customers like adults, rather than starving children, and either announced something or not.

Orestes, don’t be silly. There’s no power trip, here. They’re building interest. 37signals do and say a lot of stuff I have problems with, but this is just good marketing.

Perhaps then I am not the target group for this good marketing, since I feel more patronised than excited. I do hope that 37s will be able to resolve their focusing problems lest they launch a blurry product.

It is either a microsoft killer or the solution to world hunger. Or maybe a microsoft killer that solves world hunger!

Redesigns/realigns of various web site foibles, a’la 37express?

I’m guessing it’s a design gallery of some sort.

I’m happy that you have Readability in your Bookmarks Bar.

I’m going to guess some sort of visual bookmarking tool.

collaborative usability/design reviews, made for this blog’s audience!

My guess is some sort of prototyping tool. Maybe a new application to help design teams collaborate on projects.

Looks like individual screenshots (all have different icons – logos? – in the header). Some sort of marketplace? Maybe an extension of the gigs/job board?

Is it the other side of the Job Board fence? A kind of portfolio site for folks in the job market to showcase their work to potential employers?

Looks like screenshots of websites.

Either a portfolio sharing site, or a template sharing site?

A service for collaborating on visual design?

It looks like a visual collection of bookmarks…bookmarking site, or some kind bookmarking with notes…but it does look like a portfolio site

a scrapbook?

Looks like a site where it helps designers/developers find work, collaborate with clients, and ability to show mocks of designs.

I wish it was an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). That’s the next realm you need to take over to expand your business suite.

Just teasing, kinda, but with my experience with them the past year, they could use a lil’ 37s competition, imo.

Anyways, my guess is something that extends the current set of tools. Thus, either an extension of the now single 37s account profile with an added bit of functionality to compete with Yammer and Google Enterprise (strictly private to your 37s world), or a better way to share files and get feedback from clients via Basecamp.

I.e. a combination of http://www.notableapp.com/ and Basecamp’s message system.

An aggregator for users that use multiple 37s products? This would fit in nicely with the 37signals IDs.

The beat part would be that it’ll be free for users that use all te 37s products…

Drag and drop rating system for clients to pick and rate from samples you provide – like sample websites.

Or a personal bookmark manager.

Looks like a comp review tool. Upload comps, get comments from people.

I’d say it’s a site designed to encourage people to share ideas for new products in the comments section :D

It looks like a place to gather/collect inspiration and to collect feedback on site inspiration?

Arrrgh! ... Is this a huge … ? Wait a min … You web admins will never give up huh? I am sure no one with naked eye and devoid of any superpowers will be able to figure this CAPTCHA out … now you happy … sleep peacefully!

Probably, a portable lightbox, product lighting tent setup or something.

or a 37signals url shortener! 37sg.nl :P

My guess is on a comp/mockup review tool. Can I have a cookie?

It’s a portfolio sharing tool :)

Looks like the new coldfusion 9.. awesome app :)

My best guess would be something like flickr, only for design projects to get feedback on

I find it interesting that this screenshot seems to be not showing the top of the page as the scrollbar on the right is way down … My guess is: Themes.

I say it’s either a collaboration tool for discussing designs, prototypes, etc. or a testing utility, cross browser browser testing, a/b testing or something along those lines.

For me the pictures are template samples for a 37signals CMS service.

A clever one, with no technical web building knowledge needed. You build your website in your browser, the website is hosted on the 37signal cloud, once over, you add your DNS data and “voilà” your website is online.

It’d be awesome, web designers would love it. As a web developer, if it removes the boring tasks of website building, I’m OK too.

Hope I’m right and that it won’t be to expensive.

Hey Eric, you mean exactly like Tank – http://withtank.com/ ?

;)

Pardon the plug, but you did ask.

With 37 “passport” coming along—this could be many, many things.

What is there in the shot? Some thumbnails and then larger versions.

It’s worth noting, that: it’s obvious those are site screen shots—bottom right has hovered / expanded drop down navigation. the order of the thumbs does not corresponds with the order of the bigger pictures. not all elements in the have the same blurry stuff around them. meaning they (the blurry things) are mostly unique for each screenshot, which terms suggests branding. the grey thumb and larger version appeal to me “not ready” or similar state. Provided the above, the screenshot may or may not be: portfolio viewer / manager / whatever—an app that adds to the 37 family. an addition to backpack—sort of a preview for pages (meaning there is going to be richer interface) a prototyping tool an email sender tool with preview just a preview app usability app design helping add—a place where design process states are uploaded.

That page looks like Safari web browser… hmm… I know! That is virtual Safari browser for users of IE. They will start it in fullscreen and since that they will much more enjoy working with your products.

I’m looking forward to be first in our office who will use it. I will say: “Look here loosers. I have got Safari browser!” And they: “Aaah, you are a lucky bastard!”

I bet it’s a split testing competitor to Google’s Website Optimizer.

I’d say it looks like a sort of “iGoogle” but only for 37signals’ products so you can get an overview of what’s happening in the different applications.

Inspiration form designs around the place. LIke screens about town

Brand Asset Management System

I reckon it’s a clever way for 37signals to find out what we want product wise…

Step 1 – post blurry screen shot Step 2 – gather suggestions Step 3 – build best suggestion Step 4 – ??? Step 5 – profit!

You finally created the out-of-focus Safari plug-in. I was so waiting for that one.

Man, you guys are good at Buzz. 1 blurry image, and I already want it.

Oh great, yet another teaser campaign on the internets. Don’t have anything interesting to show?

Hopefully something with a Gantt chart.

A collection of sites/ui and other design elements you like.

Looks like a Community Feedback tool for design and usability. Cheers!

Yeh but does it encrypt my passwords

there was meant to be a >/snigger< at the end there… bah… gets coat

Some kind of test & target or A/B testing application. Or a quick way to view design concepts for websites.

I think it’s a way to build a customized view/home screen of all the 37Signals products being used by someone. For example, you could have the newsroom and calendar from backpack, your highrise dashboard, and 4 To-Do lists from various projects all on one screen.

It’s not nice, that’s what it is. It’s not Christmas or my birthday and yet I’m forced to guess what’s in the box.

Can I open it before everyone else?? Please????

It’s a draggable interface for organizing images in basecamp.

I disagree with the assertion that this is just savvy 37s-style buzz generation. There is a sense of self-importance that puts me off. I can’t make up my mind if this feels more manipulative or patronizing.

Stuff like this is noise/marketing. Stop. Stick with value posts.

If you’ve read anything by 37signals you know about the Hollywood Launch and you know what you’re getting into with svn. If you don’t like this post, just consider it part of the price of admission for being an svn reader, skip it, and move on. Seems fair to me.

Well, you did allude to a product for helping designers get work on Net at Night a while back. Looking forward to it!

I agree with Kelly. It would have much been less uncouth to say, for example, “we are working on a product to that will introduce a new way of managing your grocery lists.”

I appreciate you might have been swept up in your excitement, but this was a thoughtless post, which revealed more about your self-image than about the product.

Equally, I can’t imagine that these sort of posts help please your customers in any way. As evident by the other responses here, everyone projects what they would like to see in a blurry screenshot. Since this one product can’t be all of those things, the vast majority will be disappointed when you finally announce.

[I am only bringing this up with such fervour because I enjoy both your products and value posts and this struck me as a shockingly blatant departure from your ethos.]

OMG!!! This is a LOCALHOST:3000!!! Am I right? Am i?

This is a mixture of funny, frustrating, and intriguing to me. Possibly a gallery of sorts. Anxious to find out what it is! Any ETA?

Oooh. A porno website?

Orestes, seeing that so many people are having fun guessing, and there are just a few people who are complaining, you may want to leave everyone to their fun so you don’t come off as a party pooper.

An extended apology for treating your readers like children?

An extended apology for having readers who whine like children?

70 guesses and nobody got it right? It’s so easy. This is clearly a rails app since it’s running locally on port 3000. Geez you guys. I thought it was obvious ;)

erfer

Ha! I guess it’s a Dashboard for skinned 37signals apps. Arrr.

37signals University

Looks like a 37 Better Flickr to me or something like that.

Guess I mentioned this before. From a company dealing a lot with usability, i ‘d expect their blog to remember my credentials. Don’t know how often i had to type ma name/email/url here already ;-)

It reminds me of a creative professional portfolio/resume management app or something. Or maybe it’s a design revision app. I’ve been thinking about building one of those for years.

Well, for me I wish it were a web-based ecommerce solution…but it’s probably not.

It’s your blogcabin CMS?

I agree with Orestes, this is just partonizing at this point. There’s obviously not enough info to ever accurately guess what this is. The multiple teasing posts DO come off as egotistical.

“We’re just trying to have a little fun here.”

Yeah you have fun because you know this drives people crazy. It’s kind of childish.

I don’t feel insulted or put off. Just a little bit of fun from 37signals… come on guys. Don’t take part if you don’t like it.

BUT…. 37signals should reward people who got the right answer!! :)

It’s a safari plugin that blurs web pages :)

If my memory is good, Jason F. talked about a new project aiming to help webdesigners showcase / sell their work during a recent radio show

It seems like this is it. All the graphics on the page look like websites screenshots and are too different to be a design revision / iteration tool.

Your apps now mirror the fact you’ve lost focus on what your client base wants. :P

WYSIHAT!!!

[edit – 2nd paragraph should read bottom LEFT in the first sentence.]

You know since this came up it would be nice to be able to edit inline after posting comments, no?

@Daniel Smith I thought that was a little silly until I left off the .com from my URL. Now I think it’s genius!

Though, there is that Preview link…Hmm…

Pardon the French, but WTF is up with all of the drive-by zealots on this blog?

I’m not saying you have to drink the proverbial 37Signals Kool-aid, but if you’re going to complain about everything 37s is and does, especially if you’re just a drive-by zealot and not necessarily an avid user of their product and design, then why be here in the first place? There’s a pile of Troll caps in the corner, please take one and be seated.

Back to the question… I suspect the preview is for some community-based review of designs – whether in 37signals products or outside. Each image has the same pattern of a blurred badge on the top left corners and almost the top right.

Actually, this is probably a preview of all the images that will be used in the book Rework, not necessarily chapter intros, but probably part of the critiques/observations/points in the book.

Carry on…