What can you use the application for?


Tokbox.com is a browser-based online video conferencing solution. The site allows the user to conduct a video chat with up to 20 people at one time. The site allows the user to use their instant messenger account to initiate video chats or the user’s email address book can be imported. The site supports IM clients Gtalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger or AIM. Email contacts can be imported from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL. In addition, video chats can be initiated via Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. The user also has the option of sharing a link to the video chat using any method they desire.
The Tokbox.com site takes care of all the details and hosts the chat at a dedicated URL that exists as long as the chat session is in progress. The user can invite up to 20 people to join the chat, the the service is an excellent video conferencing solution. Users can also use the service to send a video message to any of their contacts from the supported services. Contacts can be entered directly on the Tokbox.com site as well, and all imported contacts appear in the user’s Tokbox contacts directory. The site also offers a premium service that allows the user to schedule a chat session – the site takes care of all the invitations to the chat and if anyone is not available at that time and date, the site takes care of the details of scheduling a time that all participants can attend.

What is the history and popularity of the application?


Tokbox.com was launched in October 2007 by Serge Faguet and Ron Hose and is based in the South Market district in San Francisco, CA. Ian Small is currently CEO of the site, while Mickey O’Brien is VP of Marketing and Business Development and Yang Cao is VP of Engineering.

What are the differences to other applications?


Competition to Tokbox.com comes from sites such as Webex.com and Ivisit.com. Webex.com is owned by Cisco, and offers a free trial of their paid service, but does not offer an entirely free service. Ivisit.com offers both free and paid premium plans, as well as a premium mobile chat application. Both of these services offer similar features to Tokbox.com, however Tokbox.com offers more features in their free service.

How does the application look and feel to use?


The Tokbox.com site has a very Web 2.0 look and feel. The site is quite responsive, and the video chat application performed without glitches. Navigation is intuitive, and the service is very easy to use. The video chat application is entirely browser based – only an Internet connection, microphone and web cam are required to use the service. There is no advertising displayed on the Tokbox.com site.

How does the registration process work?


Registration to Tokbox.com is free and is required to use the site. The registration process asks for real name, email address, age and password. Validation of the email address is not required.

What does it cost to use the application?


A free basic account allows the user access to all feature of the service except for video chat scheduling and chat moderation. These features can be added by purchasing a premium plan for $9.99 per month.

Who would you recommend the application to?


The Tokbox.com site is recommended to anyone who needs a simple, easy to use video chat or conferencing solution. The free plan is sufficient for most needs, however the scheduling feature adds real versatility to the application. The service is ideal for individuals as well as organizations. The ability to chat with up to 20 people at one time makes Tokbox.com the most capable video conferencing solution available.

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