Wixi’s Media-Centric Social Webtop Is Now Available

Wixi, the social filesharing network that first appeared at TechCrunch40, is now available to the public. Its offering consists in a media-centric virtual desktop that lets users play their media files using any machine that supports Flash, and also functions as a file sharing service between friends. The offer is as follows: if you sign up by October 1 you will be given unlimited storage for life, and if you register later than that date you will be charged $5 monthly for the service. However, you will still receive a free account with a 3GB limit.

Once you’ve created a profile on the site, you can upload any media files to your desktop, which you can then classify using a familiar drag-and-drop folder system. Furthermore, you can stream each file from any PC that supports Flash from within the service’s media player. The service also allows you to browse through files using the site’s search option or your friends’ profiles, and when you come across something worth your attention, you have the possibility to save it to the virtual desktop. Still, this content is for streaming exclusively; only if you have uploaded a file you are also able to download it.

Although some legal battles probably lie ahead for the service, Wixi makes a good alternative to file sharing services such as RapidShare or the standard Email route, plus it puts out a stylish interface. Moreover, the fact that it enables mobile access, allowing users to manage their music and videos even if they’re not in front of a PC, adds to its convenience.

Apart from standard web interface, Wixi’s offers an iPhone version of the site which you can find at http://www.iphone.wixi.com, showing intentions to spread out to more platforms such as Nintendo’s Wii in the future.

You may also want to check out Stixy, another web desktop which focuses more on online document collaboration than file sharing.