ReelSmart.com » VideoConf

Skype Comes To HDTVs at 720P

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:23:55 +0000

Skype is coming to LG and Panasonic HD TVs in 720P HD quality! Very cool. [via Engadget] see video

Fring Adds Video Calls to iPhone

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:55:43 +0000

Fring update brings one way video calls to your iPhone. See video.

Adobe Launches Acrobat.com Beta

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:45:14 +0000

Adobe in their move to bring services to the web (they recently launched Photo Express) has launched a beta of Acrobat.com that offers file sharing and storage, PDF converter, online word processor, and web conferencing — you can use to create and share documents, communicate in real time, and simplify working with others. The service is free.

One of the services being offered is Adobe ConnectNow a free version of Adobe's web conferencing solution they acquired when they bought Macromedia (Adode Connect was Macromedia Breeze). Adobe ConnectNow is web conferencing that utilizes the Flash plugin already installed on 98% of computers, so it requires no installation. Adobe ConnectNow allows users to conference online using nothing more than a web browser to share ideas via audio and video, share screens, chat, remote control desktops and use a whiteboard as they meet in a virtual room.

Reducing travel costs especially with gas prices going through the roof, save time, and increase productivity is the goal of web conferencing. Having the solution that is easy to access and simple to use is key however.

Also part of Acrobat.com is Adobe Buzzword that allows you to write and collaborate on documents online as well as creating and converting PDFs. Drag and dropping of files and folders from your local computer directly into your Acrobat.com account, and browsing, previewing, sharing or publishing files easily from your computer can be accomplished using Adobe AIR.

Huckleberry: Turn Macbook into a Video Camera

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:32:06 +0000

This simple device called the Huckleberry ($28.95) uses two mirrors to provide a full 180 degree change in camera direction that allows you to turn your MacBook or MacBook Pro into a video camera. It simply allows your camera to record what is in front of your laptop instead of you. An accessory that Phil Rizzuto might have liked from Ecamm. The Huckleberry includes Ecamm's iGlasses software for controlling iSight video settings.

WebEx Brings Remote Desktop to Mac Users

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:57:12 +0000

WebEx, the web-conferencing company, has announced that their desktop sharing software is now available for Mac OS X users. WebEx's new OS X client, you can easily conference PC-to-PC, PC-to-Mac, Mac-to-PC, or Mac-to-Mac. WebEx's is offering a 30-day trial of WebEx PCNow with plans starting at about $12.95 per month. After installing the WebEx Mac client, you'll be connected to your home computer. Another great feature is the use of 128-bit encryption that is also firewall friendly. For those of you who want to keep an eye on the office or home, you can utilize Remote Webcam Streaming.

Google Buys Marratech Video Conferencing Software

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:21:08 +0000

Google has acquired Marratech's web-based video conferencing software that can go head-to-head with Cisco's newly acquired WebEX. As a long time user of Marratech I have had a nice working relationship with the developers and staff of the Sweden based company. I would like to congratulate them on building a great product. I have been a champion for Marratech for quite a long time.

Cisco Buying WebEx for $3.2 Billion

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:42:40 +0000

Cisco Systems Inc. said today that they have agreed to acquire WebEx Communications Inc. for $3.2 billion in cash, expanding its line of products that allow workers to collaborate using Internet-based video.

Rogue Amoeba’s SoundSource

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:13:46 +0000

Rogue Amoeba has released SoundSource 1.2, a free menu-bar utility. This can be a easy time-saving utility for many Mac users. Especially for those who use web conferencing, podcasting and do desktop production regularly. SoundSource has been totally re-coded for better performance according to the developer, Rogue Amoeba. SoundSource is a menu-bar utility (shown right) that allows you to easily change your Mac's audio input and output sources without opening the System Preferences -> Sound Preference Pane. Some of us need to switch microphones, line-in sources, and line-out devices like speakers, USB headsets and speakerphones making SoundSource a "must-have."

Hack Skype for High-Quality Video Calls

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:29:28 +0000

Skype's new verison 2.5.0.85 for Mac is quite cool. It allows calls to landline or cell phones for a low fee and audio or video calls from Skype to Skype for free. Skype is cross-platform allowing for connections between Windows PCs and Macs. The video quality is not bad. But what if you want even higher quality (if you have the bandwidth and computer processing power) on your Mac. Thanks to this tip from the Skype developer site.

Codian to Acquire Face to Face

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 17:34:25 +0000

News Item: Face to Face Communications website here. Codian website here.

Cingular Demos Video Calling at CES

Stephen Antonucci — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 18:31:22 +0000

Cingular will be using an updated version of the LG CU500, called the CU500v, to showcase the video calling feature. Cingular showcasing its 3G UMTS/HSDPA (Universal Mobile Telephone System/High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network and recently deployed IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) platform to provide the video service. Other companies participating in the demo are Alcatel/Lucent (Las Vegas 3G network and IMS platform) and LG Electronics. While no solid date for release has been set, Cingular state that the video service will be available commercially during 2007.

New iMage USB Webcam

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 19:14:49 +0000

ecamm network iMage USB webcam, $59.95 USD + shipping - delivers high-quality 640x480 video to your favorite Mac apps, including iChat AV, Yahoo! Messenger, and Skype. The iMage USB webcam requires no driver for Mac use. Works with Windows XP also.

Test Your VoIP and VideoIP Connections

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:28:34 +0000

With the Net Neutrality debate raging on many users are concerned about ISP's packet shaping and how well their network is setup for making calls over the Internet (VoIP). Brix Networks, a company that develops monitoring tools for VoIP says that the quality of VoIP calls is going down. This may be due to bandwidth constraints and more services running over the same pipe on the Internet. It will be interesting to see how the big telcos controlling the backbone of the Internet and ISPs handle these issues, now and in the future.

Skype Video in Mac 1.5 Beta

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:41:06 +0000

Skype has released version 1.5 beta for Mac OS X. It has an improved streamlined user interface that better complements the Mac environment as well as adding video conferencing capability.

Inexpensive USB Speakerphone for VoIP and Video Conferencing

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 13:47:53 +0000

I recently was visiting a Sharper Image store and I actually bought something. In all the years I have visited the Sharper Image, I have never bought anything there. It is not that I no not like the store or gadgets. But for some reason or another I had never spent any money there. Well that changed when I came across the miniVox MV100 which is a portable USB speakerphone with DSP voice processing technologies. mVox is a Cupertino based company and we all know great things come from Cupertino. The miniVox MV100 portable USB speakerphone is designed for Internet telephony and web conferencing applications such as Skype, Vonage, WebEx, Marratech, Breeze, GizmoProject, or iChat AV. The miniVox is a nice solution for PowerBooks, laptops, or even desktops when you want engage in hands-free conversations or conference calls. It is small (Dimensions: 3.2 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches - 8.1 x 5.5 x 2.0 cm) and light (Weight: 1.5 ounces - 42 grams) and cheap ($39.99 from mVox, actually less $19.95 Sharper Image - what a bargain). The miniVox MV100 also has a 2.5mm headset jack on its left size.

Marratech: Complete Collaboration For Online Meetings

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 17:16:12 +0000

All Macintosh users should be aware of iChat AV which I regard highly. Mac users should also be aware that iChat AV can also web conference with AOL users on Windows machines. As good as iChat can be. There are other solutions. iChat is not the only show across the web to see and communicate. Marratech offers a more robust solution for online meetings than iChat can offer. Plus, it is cross-platform with clients for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.

Verizon FiOS and the Macintosh

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 01:09:24 +0000

Verizon is rolling out FiOS in markets all over the country.