Teleconferencing: WebEx

Here are my notes from evaluating WebEx teleconferencing solution.

• Date of test
  • 2011-11-01 + 14 days
  • Used few times with colleague -up to 3 hours of programming together
  • Used for Israel  - Czech telco, sound was not reliable (as usual also with Skype)
• Installation
  • Not very easy
• Setting up a meeting
  • Quite complex, it was sometime taking really few minutes.
  • Most of the infitation require use of e-mail
  • Somewhere is secret button, which gives you url to join
  • It takes 2 minutes to start the meeting first time
  • It takes time, till users really join
• Joining a meeting
  • Takes time (like 2 minutes to get there)
    Does not work in every web browser (problems in Opera and Firefox, works well in Google Chrome and IE)
• Sound
  • Integrated
  • Poor quality, but mostyl without lags, so one can use it pretty well
  • In Czech - Israeli talk there was a minute of silence in the middle of the meeting
• Video
  • Up to 6 people
  • Quite well organized on the screen
  • But did not play with it much
• Screen sharing
  • Works well, no lags
    Really secure sharing, always gives you an option to decide, what you are going to show at given moment (have to be said each time you become presenter).
• Remote control
  • Possible.
  • I had problems to stop granting remote control to the other party, really strange.
• Pointing to presented screen
  • Not really working, only Annotation can be used, but no simple single click and see the pointer.
  • To point to anther screen you have to
    • Ask presenter for permission to annotate
    • Presenter has to stop working and grant you annotation permission
    • You chose Arrow from annotation pallete
    • Click somewhere, and the arrow is there
  • But as soon as presenter starts working on the screen, all annotation is gone.
• Annotation
  • Possible.
  • See Pointing above
• Recording the meeting
  • Possible, not tested, shall be easy.
• Price
  • US and Canada
    • + - 19 USD/month
      • Up to 8 attendees
      • this would be my choice
      • + - But we are not in US or Canada
        • At sales they told me, they offer this only to busines with address in US or in Canada
    • + - 49 USD/month
      • + - Up to 25 attendees
        • This is not really my need
      • This plan is available generally everywhere
  • UK
    • + - Only one option: 30 GBP
      • like 49 USD plan
      • Too expensive
  • Germany
    • + - Only one option 38 EUR
      • like 49 USD plan
      • Too expensive
• My conclusion
  • Rich features, but pointing to screen is not really usable.
  • Fast reaction, integrated voice, this is nice
  • Very complex to use, can be strongly simplified.
  • Too expensive, as in Europe there is only the more expensive plan available