

In fact it is worse than bad – the iPad can’t even take control of an already uploaded presentation – all it can do is share content (not apps – so I couldn’t share a whiteboard app). The iPad Webex app simply does not even have the most basic of annotation tools available. As it turns out, they are not only “not better” they are “non-existant”. Undaunted, I thought I’d explore the iPad Webex app a little further, and passed the host role to where I was logged in on my iPad to see if the animation tools and Whiteboard would be better on the iPad. The content shared OK, but the drawing was a little laggy – and well, the web based app had less drawing options than Webex – but at a pinch – if you really wanted to draw on your iPad and display in your Webex meeting, you could. Now the result was “successful” but less than “satisfactory”.
#Webex annotation tools Pc
I’d have my iPad displaying the shared awwapp page, and my Webex host PC displaying the same page – which was shared over Webex. Sure – Webex lets you share a webpage like, but NOT a page like – the hosting computer sees “404-not found” (The iPad Webex app can’t even display pages like if shared on Webex from another computer).įig 4: My first mistake was that I expected the Webex “Share Webpage” to work. Remote iPad clients using the iPad Webex app see an informative message saying “ The content of the presentation is not supported” – or translated “ You should have more sense than to expect Webex to support html content on the iPad – after all, the iPad has only been around for four years“. Sure – Webex lets you share a webpage like, but NOT a page like – the hosting computer sees “404-not found”, while remote PC clients see a blank whiteboard. And since Webex has a “Share Web Content” option I thought this would be ideal – I could share this webpage just like the whiteboard and presentations, but be doing the drawing on my iPad.įig 3: At first I thought I’d found the perfect answer – īut of course my first mistake was that I expected it to work. At first I thought I’d found the perfect answer – – I could draw on my iPad with simple tools and share this content with anyone by sending them a link like. My search for a decent “whiteboard” application let me down a couple of paths. And it was this lack of functionality that made me think of using a shared whiteboard drawing tool that I might be able to access from my iPad. The Webex Whiteboard function gives you exactly the same ugly animation tools but on a blank canvas.
#Webex annotation tools windows
Oops! Wrong one deleted? Too bad there is no “undo”.įig 2: Even ancient NetMeeting (think Windows 95) had the ability to present the text you were typing in real time to the other participants in the meeting The most useful tool is the eraser, which at least allows you to delete an entire block of text or object in a single click. Need to change the text, correct a spelling mistake? Increase the font size? Too bad – Webex does not allow any of that. Now even ancient NetMeeting (think Windows 95) had the ability to present the text you were typing in real time to the other participants in the meeting, but not Webex – oh no, with Webex, the typing does not appear on the other participants’ screens until you click away from the text. Typing text is even more frustrating – you create a text box and begin typing. Copy and paste the line to another part of the screen? Not supported. And once drawn, you can’t move it, change its colour or direction. You can click on your slide and drag to draw a line, but neither you or any other participant sees the line until you lift your mouse/finger to finish the line. However, it is particularly the annotation tools that fall down. The presenter also has the power to grant other meeting participants privileges to also click their pointers on the screen, or use the basic annotation tools which consist of typing text, drawing lines and boxes and a highlighter/scribbler.

While presenting your PowerPoint slides, you can click on part of your slide to make you pointer visible to the other participants. When you present slides in Webex, your PowerPoint slides loose all animation and the best annotation tool available is a pointer that displays your name.įig 1: Webex Interface. The best annotation tool available is a pointer that displays your name.
#Webex annotation tools free
Here is how I managed to at least spruce up the Whiteboard function using a free iPad app and a cheap application on my laptop.įirstly, understand that Webex is an ancient online video collaboration tool with enough basic features to allow you to present PowerPoint slides (so long as they are saved in the correct format) to a live online audience who either listen online or over the telephone after signing in to the meeting online. I had to do some Webex presentations recently – and I found the Webex interface clunky and dated – especially the annotation functions and the Whiteboard function.
