Powered by Max Banner Ads 

There is a lot of software out there for conducting virtual conferences and performing demos: GoToMeeting, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, WebEx, and AdobeAcrobat Connect immediately come to mind. Most of these programs though require software to be installed and are meant for conference meetings rather than team collaboration. They’re not virtual workspaces.

Enter Team Apart (formerly Meetcast), a Y Combinator-funded startup that is now launching its free, web-based workspace application. And it is something to behold: not only does it carry basic virtual meeting features such as demo support and video chat, but it has an array of features that make it a useful virtual workspace.

At first, Team Apart feels like your standard virtual meeting tool. The key feature is the ability to have coworkers or business partners in your room via webcam, audio, or chat. There’s also of course a screencast feature (essential for demos) hidden behind the premium pay features of the service.

But then Team Apart starts to differentiate itself. The tool comes loaded with workspace features. For example, the notebook feature allows team members to collaboratively add notes in real-time, ones everyone can see as they are built. This is great for brainstorming, transcribing a meeting, or outlining. Another useful feature is the whiteboard, which allows teams to collaboratively draw and sketch. Chat features also permeate the Team Apart program, and that only touches on the major features. They’ve produced a video which highlights some of the others:

It still has limits though. Right now, it only supports 4 people in video chat. It’s also still new, so scalability may be an issue. Regardless, holding conferences and team meetings without installing software? We like.

Invites: Team Apart is launching in beta as it tests its scalability. But for the first 100 people to sign up through this link, they will have beta access to the Team Apart application.

Tags: teamApart, y combinator