Host your own web conferences using your on-premise web server - or take advantage of robust web conferencing features including desktop sharing, application sharing, chat, and video. DimDim is an open source web conferencing solution making rapid inroads in the web conferencing market. It’s offered in a number of (invitation private beta) editions - some of which are permanently free. We think dimdim is cool and cheap. Check it out here.
Yugma allows you to quickly try out web conferencing and then scale your needs. The free version is integrated with Skype and offers a ton of functionality. Larger meetings can cost $10-$90 per month depending on the prepayment term and number of attendees.
Yugma offers a wealth of the most critical web conferencing features - even in its free version - including desktop sharing.
Why bother paying $50 for GoToMeeting to share your desktop - when it’s free with Yugma?
Rumors abound that Google will soon be adding a free web conferencing component to Google Applications for Your Domain. This awesome software as a service has unleashed the desktop and web conferencing - like WebEx, Live Meeting, and GoToMeeting is a notable absence from the package. Google quickly denied rumors last year that they had acquired Marratech - revising the story that they had “acquired the technology for their use”.
We think there is much more to this story and predict that free web conferencing will be coming from Google / Marratech during 2008. Google’s acquisition of Postini continued the addition of valuable enterprise features to the Google Apps platform.
Web conferencing really is now free with Vyew’s ad supported option for up to 20 conference participants.
* Webcam video for all participants.
* Easy to have a conference anytime to collaborate.
* Built in VOIP - no phone / audio bridge needed.
It’s getting harder to justify paying for web conferencing when free, excellent options are on the rise (if you don’t mind a few ads.)
Microsoft is now showing a price of under $5 per user for Live Meeting web conferencing. Not sure if this is a typo — WebEx still shows $75 per user on their site. If Microsoft is really selling Live Meeting 2007 web conferencing at this price - it really changes the rules of the game.
Has anyone checked out this offer?
Walmart is now selling a $199 PC running Linux Ubuntu variant gOS which heavily favors Google applications. The PC also includes Open Office. The PC does not include a monitor - but has everything you need to enjoy high speed internet.
Although Walmart has sold Linux PC’s in the past - this is widely viewed as a sign of the devaluation of both the core operating system monopoly and office suite monopoly.
With a $100 delta for the same PC with Windows Vista Home Basic - home users who are mainly using PC’s for surfing the internet - and using the Google applications - may begin to make the switch.
Is gOS the tipping point?
A recent blog dissects a great comparison of open source UC solutions and the threat it can pose to Microsoft and Cisco.
“…But the long term, the play is to offer these services to the end-user in a pre-integrated fashion. Think about a BlackBerry on crack that brings it all together. That is the pot of the gold at the end of the unified rainbow….”
Microsoft Office Live Meeting is now offering a 2 month (60 day) free trial of the hosted web conferencing service. The site can be a bit klunky - but it’s easy to sign up and you can get all of the full power of Live Meeting (yes - the new version) totally free for two months. I couldn’t believe this when I found it, but they are really working to let people try it out.
There’s absolutely no reason to pay for web conferencing when Microsoft let’s you try their best new stuff for free. One warning: you need a real email address - they won’t let you use free email addresses from services like gmail, yahoo, and yes - even hotmail or live.com.
WebEx offers a similar trial - but the trial is only 14 days - a lot less time to enjoy the benefits of web conferencing and find out if you want to pay the price…
Are you paying a fortune for a web conferencing solution like either Microsoft Office Live Meeting or Webex? With license prices topping $75 per organizer per month - you may not know that Microsoft provides two ways to use web conferencing collaboration tools totally free.
Microsoft NetMeeting is a “dirty secret” buried deep within Windows XP which is not easy to find -but once you do — provides incredible functionality.
Microsoft SharedView is a “beta” product that provides the core features of web conferencing with Microsoft’s latest technology - and meetings up to 15 concurrent participants.
We’ll tell you more about these products - how to find them - and how to use them to your advantage to cut costs for your business. It’s amazing that such a large competitor in web conferencing would offer free choices that undercut its core offerings (ie Microsoft Office Live Meeting). It’s even more amazing that people are still willing to pay $75 per month for Webex.
Bill Gates and Jeff Raikes emceed the launch event in San Francisco to launch OCS as the Unified Communication solution. Microsoft is looking to take over your office telephone in a big way. Easy conference calls; knowing when your colleagues are ready; and Office Live Meeting with video that makes you feel like you are right there in the room.
A cool new device called “Roundtable” allows panoramic video over the Internet and VOIP — similar to devices costing hundreds of times more. The alien looking “Roundtable” device sells for only $3,000 and focuses camera and sound on the meeting’s active speaker.
Is OCS good enough to replace your phone? Rivals sow doubts and concerns on whether a software company should own the voice space. But Microsoft’s demos showcased the flexible work scenarios that can open a world of communications right from your laptop.
Should you give your office phone to Bill Gates? What do you think….