Video technologies such as chat, telephony and conferencing are increasingly making their way into both the home and office work places and are playing a more important role in how business gets done. More websites are including video functions and some sites, such as YouTube, have added video response options for viewers. Computer manufacturers have taken notice and today it’s nearly impossible to purchase a laptop without a built-in webcam.
Riding the wave of these changes are several new video technology companies that have made headlines in recent months with their free services offerings geared towards enhancing video communication in the workplace and at home. Though most of them offer similar abilities, each one focuses on a specific feature geared towards a certain audience. Whether or not you are already using a video communication technology, there are 3 services that deserve a closer look: ooVoo, VuYou and TokBox.
I first covered ooVoo on my Israel Innovation 2.0 blog in November 2007. The company caught my attention at the time for a project that it was funding related to content in Israeli broadcast sites. ooVoo is a free video service that you download (like Skype) and then gives you the ability to have a live video chat with one to 6 friends, family members or business partners. If you have something to say but the people who you want to share it with are not available, you can leave a video message for them.
Another company offering free video streaming and messaging, is VuYou. According to a recent news release though, VuYou is emphasizing video emails, creating video blogs and podcasts and adding video content to their own websites. The advertising-supported site provides unique security by creating film strips from 5 stages of a recording process of a sent in th recipent’s inbox so that they can check the video content first without having to play or download it. In addition, VuYou has plans to offer a business service with video conferencing and other features later this year.
While both VuYou and ooVoo require users to download something, TokBox is offering free browser-based video chat and conferencing along with the ability to leave recorded messages. All that’s required is that at least one person has an account and then, according to Venture Beat, “as many as eight other people can join a video conversation simply by visiting a url.”
Although there has been speculation that there is not enough critical mass to make these companies very successful, a lot of it has to do with the area still being novel to most people. It’s likely that webcams will become standard in almost all computers in the future and it still offers mass appeal to business travelers, home businesses and anyone who is away from their family and friends over an extended amount of time. For those who already have a webcam and are looking to enhance the way they do business or keep in touch with loved ones, any of these services can serve your current online video communication needs.
If you are already using one of these services or a different one. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
August 21st, 2008 at 6:33 am
Many thanks for the Tokbox.com mention! We appreciate it very much.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I have used YuYou a number of times and I found it vey good to use, I refer to your point that VuYou need some kind a download, this is not the case VuYou is web based and therefore does not need a download.
Simon