Present.io Sets Up No-Software-Needed Web Presentations
Drop.io is taking on the likes of WebEx, GoToMeeting and all the other webinar/web conference/meeting apps out there with presentation.io, a service that lets you upload, describe, and manipulate files for anyone with a browser.
Drop.io’s initial purpose was to give you a spot to quickly drop up to 100MB in files, then send anyone who wants them to drop.io/myawesomehoneymoonphotos (or something similar). The service has expanded from there on out, adding a free phone conference line to each “drop,” Campfire-styled group chat, and other features. Presentation.io combines all these elements and brings them to their logical conclusion: Upload files, send a bunch of friends to the link, and then show them off with either phone conference audio or real-time chat.
Any drop.io “drop” should have the “Start Presentation” link enabled in the right-hand column by now. We created a goofy test presentation, consisting of this morning’s screenshots and Replacements songs, and took a few screenshots of the process:
After creating a drop and setting an administrator password, you can start a presentation at any time, whether or not anyone’s in the “room” with you.
If someone was already chatting around your drop, this screen asks them if they want to take part in the presentation you started.
Everything the administrator does inside the drop is broadcast in pretty much real time to everyone else. Click a picture or document to show it, show off the link/download/embed codes, and comment on items in the drop.
Music and videos are also played, paused, and commented on in real time. One neat feature we’d ask for would be background playing of videos and music while you’re showing a document or picture.
For a clearer look at how the presentations look for both admin and viewer, Drop.io founder Sam Lessin shows it off with two browsers open. You’ll definitely want to hit the full-screen toggle on this one:
Present.io is, like drop.io in general, a free service, with restrictions on file storage, sizes, and other features removed with premium accounts/drops.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@Tung Luong: seems like this would work great to communicate between MD's across the world.
How can they take on WebEx and GoToMeeting without live streaming? Personally, I don't find this terribly useful over the other, more interactive alternatives. I use Adobe ConnectNow.
lhed
Been using WebEx for work for sometime and it seems pretty ubiquitous throughout at least the medical industry that it would be hard to get people to change now.
I mean this is week. But im not sure of the real advatanges over web ex yet.
Tung Luong
@Eric Beris: "Drop.io is taking on the likes of WebEx, GoToMeeting, and all the other webinar/web conference/meeting apps out there with presentation.io, a service that lets you upload and present files in real-time to anyone else's browser."
?
Yay, Kevin, another Replacements fan! :o)
pale_blue_eyes
I use Dim Dim, which is free and has video and audio streaming in addition to a conference call number. I like the interface better then GoToMeeting, but I haven't tried WebEx.
Cameron Kruger
I have no idea what this article means at all. I am no noob either. Maybe if you started the article with a little explanation about what this app(?) does..?
Eric Beris
@mjschmidt: I'm still not sure that means what it sounds like. I watched the video and it looks like you still have to perform an action (even if it's just a mouse click) in order for the viewer to see anything. This is not the samae as something like Adobe Connect where the viewer sees your screen in real time.
lhed
@lhed: "Upload files, send a bunch of friends to the link, and then show them off with either phone conference audio or real-time chat."
"Everything the administrator does inside the drop is broadcast in pretty much real time to everyone else."
mjschmidt
@Tung Luong: We had been using WebEx at work for a while and then IT switched us over to GoToMeeting--I believe they said the latter was less expensive. I was happy for the switch--GTM is sleeker and easier to use than WebEx.
JustMeJosh
Wow. I just uploaded a pptx to presentio, it is amazing! And simple to use. No login required. The in-line viewers are very very useful. Way way better than Google Doc's "View Together" mode in presentations. "View Together" essentially offers the same basic functionality as presentio, but lacks the support for media (audio/video) files and does not feature "free teleconferencing". Also, to use the "View Together" in Google Docs, the attendees need to sign-up for a Google Account. However, I would be more comfortable with storing confidential data in Google Apps than in presentio. For e.g. I would never upload a presentation containing Intellectual Property to presentio :) Anyone wanna guess how long before Google Doc catches up with presentio?
JoyceMalinkoo