Pearltrees Introduces A New Design And HTML5 In Latest Update
The Parisian-based sharing and collaboration tool Pearltrees has pushed through a significant change to the online application today, with a switch to HTML5 and a new user interface.
According to CEO Patrice Lamothe, the changes will “… extend the power of Pearltrees to everyone by making collections simpler, more accessible and more shareable.” Launched with an open beta version in December 2009, Pearltrees now has over two million contributors and three million active users per month. The privately held company has taken $12.2 million in funding over four funding rounds, the most recent being a $6.6 million round in January 2012.
While the branding and vision has not changed, the update to version two of Pearltrees does tweak the core mission of the product. Previously Pearltrees hoped to ‘cultivate your interests’, now it will be ‘a place for your interests’, allowing users to organize and share pretty much any snippet of information they care to add. The change in tone emphasizes the online storage and management of information.
While the slight change in mission is to be expected as Pearltrees evolves, the changes to the product’s code reflect the changing nature of online applications. Previous versions of Pearltrees used Flash to power the user interface, but this new version relies 100% on HTML5 and delivers a fully dynamic system.
Pearltrees now offers a universal experience over desktop browsers, tablets, and smartphones, and can be accessed via the website (pearltrees.com) or through the Pearltrees app available for iOS and Android devices.
