Want to collaborate online in real-time? Look what I have found this time: Set up free video conferences or VoIP calls, share your desktop and grant control of your PC to anyone, or connect to any instant messaging service without installing any software. Too good to be true? Check out the full list of new online collaboration tools I have collected this time and think again.

Photo credit: Erik Reis

Here my selected online collaboration tools for this week:

1. Vyew 3: New cool version of web-conferencing tool integrates VoIP, video conferencing and screen-sharing.
2. TeamViewer: Free downloadable application allows you to share your screen and control anyone else's PC
3. OnStagePortal: Online workspace creator lets you invite people, assign tasks and share documents
4. Joyent: Collaboration suite lets you connect with people, run shared calendars and share files online
5. GrandCentral: Get one number for all your phones, and record all of your calls with a click of a button
6. Exploratree: Create "thinking guides" and use them to collaborate on projects and documents
7. Instan-t Messenger: Downloadable and web-based multi-protocol instant messenger
8. MECA: Connect to popular instant messengers at once, and get all your buddy lists into one

1. Vyew 3
   
   Vyew is a web-conferencing tool that has been out for a while now, but has just come out with version 3. While the old release allowed you to upload files, view slides together and share your desktop, this new version adds the possibility of having VoIP and video conferences with one click, with all the members of the room. You can also chat, show presentations in synchronized mode and take screenshots of any part of your screen. Free to use.
   http://www.vyew.com/

   
   
   
   

2. TeamViewer
   
   TeamViewer is a free small downloadable application that allows you to share your screen and control anyone else's PC. After you download the small program, you just start it without any installation: you can then give a code and password to your friends to see and control your PC, or they can give you their code. You can also chat, transfer files, and use it to remote control your computer from anywhere in the world. Free.
   http://www.teamviewer.com/






3. OnStagePortal
   
   OnStagePortal is an online workspace and project management tool. You can create groups, invite an people and coordinate projects by assigning tasks to them. You can have shared calendars to monitors on-going tasks, and share files and documents with all the members of the group. The free version allows you to invite up to 20 people and share files with a total storage space up to 750MB.
   http://www.onstageportal.com/

   
   
   
   

4. Joyent
   
   Joyent is a web-based collaboration suite that you can use to connect with a group of people. You can organize contacts, run shared calendars, and upload any file for other people to download. The free version gives you 2GB of file storage up to 2 users to try. You can then check other paid versions for more users and sharing space.
   http://joyent.com/

   
   
   
   

5. GrandCentral
   
   GrandCentral is a new web application that lets you link all of your phone numbers to a new special number.That means that someone can call you on your GrandCentral phone number and all of your phones will ring. You can set rules by friends, family, work, and others, defining where the calls should be directed, and you can also record all of your calls in MP3 format by pressing a button.
   Free to use.
   http://www.grandcentral.com/






6. Exploratree
   
   Exploratree is a new online service that allows you to create so-called "thinking guides". Thinking guides are basically blank documents on which you can add images, text, and shapes, and you can share them with other people in real-time, both for document editing, or for other collaboration tasks. You can try it without registering, or sign up to the service to get your work saved online. Free.
   http://www.exploratree.org.uk/






7. Instan-t Messenger
   
   Instan-t Messenger 5.0 is a free software based and web-based instant message client which allows you to sign into MSN, Googletalk, ICQ/AOL, and Yahoo all at same time. Simply download Instant-t, create a username and then add your log-in informations for your other messenger accounts and every time you sign in with Instant-t, you will sign in to your other accounts as well. Along with chat, Instan-t also supports video-chat on any IM network. Instan-t is completely free to download and use.
   http://www.instan-t.com/

   
   
   

8. MECA
   
   MECA allows our members to communicate with the other popular instant messaging programs, AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, and ICQ. You can now access your other messenger accounts and consolidate all your buddy lists into one simple messenger interface. It features offline messaging, file transfer, message history, emoticons, and more. Free to download and use.
   http://mecamessenger.com/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on May 20th 2008 as "Online Collaboration Technologies - New Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic May20 08"