Vyew Collaboration Software Out of Beta

Vyew, a collaborative online conferencing application, released its version 2.1 this week, officially moving out of beta status. The site offers three levels of subscription: a free ad-based service that limits participants and working projects (called VyewBooks); Plus, which turns off ads for up to 5 people, and allows a la carte additions of ad-free users and additional VyewBooks over the five allowed, and Professional, with up to 45 ad-free participants, 20 VyewBooks, and the option to purchase additional ad-free participants and VyewBooks. Paid subscribers also receive a custom URL for their meeting space.

At first glance, Vyew looks like an updated version of the now-dormant Microsoft NetMeeting, but an initial test drive looked much more promising. The collaboration tool runs on Adobe Flash, which allows the use of plug-ins, including interactive maps (via Yahoo! Maps). Pages in the VyewBook can consist of virtually any type of file, including documents, images, and flow charts. Other features including a drawing tool, chat window, and phone conferencing. Most of the plug-ins are still beta versions, but it looks like more will be released as the service grows.

Moderation tools are also provided, allowing the meeting creator to remove users, if need be, and a built-in screen capture tool allows you to save work versions for later review.

The most attractive feature of Vyew, however, has to be the pricing structure, which provides a full-featured online collaboration tool at an affordable rate for the small business owner, a segment of the marketplace often overlooked.

"The web is increasingly becoming a participatory medium where users don't just consume content; they create it, interact with it, and build on it over time," said Henry Hon, CEO. "The web conferencing and collaboration market has been limited by cumbersome installation requirements and prohibitively high prices. Vyew removes both barriers while being incredibly easy to use."

My first impressions of Vyew are favorable. Even with the ads running, it still provides a professional-looking workspace for working online with clients without having to email things back and forth several times over, and allows a multi-media approach to collaboration.