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Filed under: Office, Productivity, VoIP, Web

Real-time collaboration is simple with Team Apart

Sometimes, the best people for a job can't all assemble in the same physical location. That's not a problem when everyone's working independently, but even the best remote coworkers sometimes need to have a meeting. Team Apart makes that possible, with really simple real-time collaboration features including audio/video chat and whiteboarding.

It's easy to invite people to your Team Apart workspace. In fact, you just have to send them the URL. Once everybody's in the room, you can chat via webcam and take notes on a shared real-time notepad. You can also share photos and documents, and Team Apart will store them in your virtual workspace. Team Apart is still in beta, with limited invitations available, but it looks like a simple and effective solution to some of the problems of remote collaboration.

Filed under: Productivity, Web services, Social Software, Beta, web 2.0

Twiddla offers no-fuss whiteboarding

Twiddla

Twiddla is an online whiteboard that lets you start collaboratively marking up practically anything: a blank page, your own images, or a website. It was created to solve the hassle of e-mailing design proofs back and forth for comments. With Twiddla, you can do real-time markup in a matter of minutes, without even signing up.

Twiddla does have accounts - it's in public beta, so you can sign up now - but you can start a new meeting without one, and edit your user details on the fly. Once you're in a meeting, you've got all the basic markup tools you would expect: pen, text box, some basic shapes. You can also upload images or browse to a site and start marking it up. Communication during the meeting is supported by a text chat box and an audio chat button.

It might not be as full-featured as some of the more established whiteboard services out there, but it definitely scores points for quick setup and ease of use. There's even a bookmarklet for your browser, so you can "twiddle" any page with one click. Sure, we could find a couple things to complain about -- an eraser and a tool for drawing neat arrows would be nice, for starters -- but we're in a good mood because we just used a functional web service without having to sign up.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Web services

Skrbl online whiteboard

skrbl online whiteboard

Skrbl is a very easy to use online whiteboard. The application lets users jot down notes, sketches, upload pictures and share files in a browser. Users can sign up for a free account and start a whiteboard creating text, drawing and importing gif and jpg images. The drawing tool is kind of crude, and not that accurate, but good for getting your point across. Text is as expected, with fonts, font sizes, alignment and colors to choose from. Files can be saved as HTML and to a print view. When complete, or for collaboration, files cans be shared by inviting others through email, or by sending out a unique URL.

Filed under: Fun, Google

Google's Master Plan (1.0) REVEALED!

Google Master PlanYou may have heard of Google's "Master Plan," which was sketched out on a very, very long whiteboard in the lobby of building 41 at the Googleplex. Back in September the original Master Plan was erased because it was getting, in the words of Google's Chris diBona, "a bit crufty." Fret not, however--this 1.0 version of the Master Plan is not lsot forever--this week Google lifted the veil of secrecy and the complete, original Plan can now be seen in a panable, zoomable widget at Spanish Brazilian Google-watching blog UnderGoogle. There's a lot there about robot monkeys, Babylon 5, cattle mutations, weather control, "fish pods," google.gov, and lots more geeky fun. This was my favorite bit of the Plan, though: "Having achieved happiness, humankind is left wondering what is the point. After briefly distracted by reality TV, discovers enlightenment, which leads mankind to reject the trappings of modern life like in a bad ST-TNG movie."

By now Google is undoubtedly well on its way to concocting Master Plan 2.0, so none of the information in version 1.0 is likely to save us... but it's fun to read, at least.

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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