OCS on the iPad? You'd Be Missing Something
Filed under: Conferencing, Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Voice over IP
I'm not a huge Apple fan. But I've played with a couple iPads friends have bought in recent months. I sat down to write today's post and my thoughts trailed toward the iPad.
I thought, “Since OCS' Communicator will run on the iPhone, would it work on the iPad too?”
On the surface there's no reason why not. The iPad is larger. Better screen. It has a microphone and speaker built-in. Just about everything in Communicator DOES work on iPad - IM, VoIP, audio conferencing.
Except for one thing - video conferencing.
Why? The iPad doesn't have a webcam.
With a tablet, you'd expect the ability to do video calls. Sure, you could watch the other person talking to you if THEY had a webcam. But they couldn't see you - not without a webcam plugged in (somehow). Only hear you. And that's at best a clunky solution for an otherwise-slick mobile platform.
Why Consider OCS on the iPad/Tablets?
The iPad has kicked off a big interest in tablet PCs. At least some of the 3 million iPads sold are used by businesses already. (I saw a bunch used as slideshow displays at the Web 2.0 Expo.) With Dell, Samsung and other companies rushing for the tablet market, it's practically a given that tablets will be used as PC replacements in force.
When we get there though, will OCS be viable for communications on them? That's the question.
Conferencing/VoIP on Tablets - A Future Possibility
At this point it's largely a matter of speculation. Even on the current fast-track, companies probably won't embrace tablets for mobile communications soon. (Not while laptops & smartphones do the job.) I'm sure Microsoft will make OCS apps for tablets. But they may not see widespread VoIP or conferencing use, even if tablets go mainstream in business.
At least, until Apple puts a camera in the iPad.
What do you think? Are iPads (or other tablets) slipping into your workplace? Do you think they'd be viable communications devices, for everything from IM to Conferencing?
How to Use OCS 2007 on Your Mobile
Filed under: Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Unified Communications
I'm still amazed at how many people use their phones for–well, everything! We've reached the point where almost anything you can do on a computer, you can do on a mobile phone.
So it's no surprise that we've received requests for using OCS on mobiles. Some companies want their employees to still have access to OCS functions while out & about. Sure, why not? We have the tech to do that. In fact, it's now possible to put an OCS client on all major phones out there.
Let me list the clients I know about. (If I miss one and you know it, leave a comment and share it with us!)
If You Have…
a. An iPhone
Use the “iDialog” iPhone OCS client. Ironically, this app is not made by Microsoft or Apple. It was released in 2009 by Modality Systems, a UC consulting firm.
Find iDialog in the App Store. Documentation and links are available on Modality's website here.
b. A Droid (Google Android Phone)
Right now the best way to use OCS on Droids is Communicator Web Access (CWA). Like Outlook Web Access, this framework allows web-based use of a Microsoft app - in this case, Office Communicator.
The Communicator Team blog has an overview on CWA here.
(I mentioned the Web Scheduler component in February, too.)
c. A Windows Mobile Phone (Palm Pre, Nokia)
Those of you on Windows Mobile phones luck out here. There's a mobile OCS client available straight from Microsoft: Communicator Mobile 2007 R2.
d. A Blackberry
There is no native Blackberry OCS client to my knowledge. You can use the Communicator Web Client though, like you would on a Droid phone. However, if your company limits Web access on Blackberries, you're stuck. (Maybe this can help you successfully argue in favor of Web access…?)
I should note that in terms of capabilities, OCS mobile clients and CWA are practically identical to Office Communicator. Aside from screen size and a couple formatting differences, you won't lose out on anything by using OCS 2007 on your mobile.
Do you use OCS 2007 on the go? What mobile phone do you use? How's it been working for you? Let us know in the comments.
