Web Apps - Its happening!

Seated on the verandah last weekend, a couple of friends and I were discussing about how the internet has changed the way we work. It was interesting to trace out how much the web has evolved from its primitive stages where it was used primarily in academic circles, to a tool which is now driving many aspects of todays economy. It has, without doubt, changed the way we work, play, learn and communicate amongst other things.

The talk that we had revolved around web applications. I'm sure most of you are aware that some of the coolest things that we use these days [email, photo sharing, podcasting, personal publishing, contacts etc.] are all web based. Which made me wonder - what would be the next big thing to hit the web?

We played around with a few ideas, some of which seem to have good potential. However, I'd like to hear from you. How many times have you felt crippled about some desktop application that you wish you had online? Now its pretty obvious that web applications do not provide the same level of user experience as real "desktop" applications such as Photoshop, Maya, etc do. But the point here is, people actually dont care about how the interface is as long as it works and is easy to use. For example - Gmail (oh yes, I had to mention it!) is an increadibly easy to use tool. However, its overall look and feel is nowhere close to the polished interfaces of a desktop app. The point is, web applications needn't (it cant, infact) replace desktop ones. However, what it should do is - liberate the user from being tied down.

Now, what is one application or tool that you wish you had online?