Presented by:Daniel Paschal

For EDIT 5395 - Administration of the Instructional Technology Program

• A browser based application is a program that is accessed via a web browser over a network such as the Internet.

• Browser based applications typically require little or no disk space on the client’s computer. All resources are accessed from the host server.

• Browser based applications upgrade automatically with new features. Unlike desktop software which requires occasional upgrades to remain current.

• Browser based applications also provide cross-platform compatibility. They will work with Windows, Mac, and Linux because they run within the browser.

• Browser based applications rely on their access to remote servers. This access is often provided by the Internet. Therefore, when the connection is interrupted, the application is no longer usable.

• A desktop application is a program that is installed directly to and runs directly from your computer’s hard drive.

• Desktop applications are faster than web based applications.

• Desktop applications typically have better video quality.

• Desktop applications typically have more features.

• Desktop applications may require costly upgrades to stay current.

• Desktop applications may be platform specific.

• ooVoo – Desktop Based• SightSpeed – Desktop Based• Skype – Desktop Based• PalBee – Browser Based• iChat – Desktop Based

Name Win Mac Linux # ofPeople

Upgrade VOIP File Transfer

IM ConferenceRecording

ooVoo X X 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes No

SightSpeed X X X 1 Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Skype X X X 1 No Yes No Yes No

PalBee X X X 5 No No Yes Yes Yes

iChat X 3 No No Yes Yes No

• Pro – Basic service is free.• Pro - Available as an upgrade offering many

additional services and 4 different pricing plans.

• Con – Even with the upgraded version the maximum # of callers is 6.

• Con – To run with no advertisements will cost extra.

• Con – Video quality is not high resolution.

• Pro – SightSpeed Free is free.• Pro – Upgrades Business version connects up

to 9 callers.• Pro – Upgrade to SightSpeed Plus to allow up

to 4 callers.• Pro – Works on any platform.

• Con – Video calling is one on one.

• Pro – Works on any platform.• Pro – Subscription plans are available for voice

calls.• Pro - Video calls are free.

• Con – Video calls are one on one.

• Pro – Service is free.• Pro – Video call up to 5 people.• Pro – Includes a Whiteboard with tools for

drawing.

• Con – Meeting time is limited to 1 hour.• Con – Still in beta.

• Pro – Included free with the Mac OS.• Pro – Video call up to 3 people.• Pro – Includes screen sharing capability.

• Con – Runs on Mac OS only.• Con - Contacts must be part of the AOL Instant

Messaging (AIM) network.

• I really like the ability to have a video conference with up to 10 people as offered by Palbee. Unfortunately they seem to have some bugs to work.

• I like oovoo’s interface and the video quality seems better than SightSpeed and Skype.

• If I were to go with a free service, I would choose oovoo.• However, these free services lack the features needed for

conferencing with larger groups.• In education I can see that video conferencing can be very powerful

for distance learning. Video conferencing provides the ability to bring a group of people together from different locations to discuss the same topic.

• Using these free services would severely limit the number of students who could benefit from the distance learning.