Web Worker Daily

Is mobile online conferencing on smartphones poised to become a killer app? There are some efforts to make it so, even though some may question whether the size of the displays on phones and other issues make the success of such applications prohibitive.

PC World has an interesting piece up on a startup called PhoneTopp, focused on full online meeting features for multiple devices, including the iPhone. Meanwhile, Global IP Solutions has a videoconferencing client that multiple providers can offer for Windows Mobile phones, in addition to plans for other platforms.

PhoneTopp is working on software and services to allow conferencing, whiteboarding and more online meeting features on BlackBerries, the iPhone, and Windows Mobile handsets. Users will be able to use Adobe Connect, Microsoft Live Meeting, and WebEx conferencing services. PC World is running some interesting screenshots of how this might look horizontally on the iPhone.

The shots show PhoneTopp working with PowerPoint presentations, and how chat windows and combining voice will work with presentations. According to the PC World item, PhoneTopp services will cost about $8 per month per meeting participant–not too much to pay for those who do a lot of on-the-fly online meetings.

Global IP Solutions is taking a slightly different approach to facilitating videoconferencing on smartphones. Its Video Engine Mobile client for Windows Mobile handsets is mainly aimed at carriers and handset suppliers who want to offer mobile videoconferencing as an option. The company intends to deliver similar clients for Symbian and the iPhone.

These broad-based efforts to facilitate full online meetings and videoconferencing, of course, complement some of the smartphone videoconferencing solutions already arriving, such as PacketVideo’s offerings for the Nokia Series 60 platform. In a down economy, especially if, say, a full-blown WebEx meeting can look good on smartphones, these applications are likely to improve and possibly do well.