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	Convoq ASAP

Annotation Features - Whiteboard

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Convoq ASAP integrates a basic set of live annotation tools which can be used both when delivering PowerPoint presentations as well as when wanting to annotate a screen during a screen-sharing session.

The live annotation tools are few, but they offer some unique advantages and differences from what most other web conferencing tools have. The ASAP set of live annotation and mark-up tools include a highlighter, a text tool, a shared pointer and an eraser. These tools are easy to use, clearly differentiated and of easy access.

The standard single pointer cursor is available for the Presenter to show different parts of the screen live to the other participants. It acts like a live light pointer bringing attention and focus to specific items being presented. The standard pointer can also be used to select annotation elements and to drag and move them to different positions on the presentation display.

The highlighter tool is very effective and well thought out as it employs a soft and semi-transparent yellow coloring to the areas where it is used. The nice touch Convoq has applied to this tool is the one of having made the highlight strong while it is being created, while as soon as one ends drawing the highlight the line created becomes suddenly soft and semi-transparent, leaving a cleaner screen and a letting content being highlighted remain still readable.

The text tool is extremely well designed and offers many advantages over similar live annotation tools. The ASAP text tool is very comfortable and intuitive to use, as when clicked it provides a gray placeholder box that can be easily positioned anywhere on screen. Once positioned the end user can insert any amount of text inside the box. The text box also provides an associated arrow that can be used to pinpoint annotated elements on the screen.

The shared pointer is a live iconized hand that can be used at all times to point in real-time to specific objects in the display being broadcast. This proves to be very effective, useful and easy to use.

The eraser requires only a one short click on its button to delete at once all annotations and marks created on the content being displayed.

Cons:

Lack of basic annotation shapes like rectanges, circles, lines and arrows.

No option to selectively turn off annotations is available.

Annotating screens while using the screen sharing function is not as smooth and intituitive as this operation should be. The end user is required to locate and access the ASAP Screen Sharing Preview window, click on Annotate, and then switch tot he ASAP presentation area where a screenshot of the application being shared is now displayed.

Text annotations cannot be formatted. Font size, style and typeface selection are not available.

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Posted on April 06, 2004 at 08:17 AM

Updated on April 07, 2004 at 11:16 AM

Overview

Key Strengths

Weak Points

PowerPoint Presentation Facilities

Web Touring - Co-Browsing

Presence Awareness

Multi-Protocol IM

Text Chat