There were a wide variety of developments this week in Web-based real time communications (WebRTC), and as such, plenty of news to tackle in the field. With a weekend now at our doorstep, it's worth taking a moment to step back and run down some of the biggest events in a field full of big events, much as we do every weekend, with our Week in Review coverage.
We kicked off the week with a look at CheapCast, which put WebRTC to work to offer up much the same as Google's recently-unveiled Chromecast system. CheapCast is an Android-based emulator designed to do much the same thing that Chromecast does, only using an Android device instead of a specific Chromecast stick. There are some limits to CheapCast, however, including a lack of tab switching, but the simplicity and overall range of CheapCast should make it a welcome substitute.
Next we got a look at how WebRTC was shaking up the video interview, with InterviewStream. InterviewStream offers businesses a way to make connections with potential employees without extensive travel, using a combination of WebRTC and video to make that all-important interview connection. Thanks to a few refinements, which InterviewStream calls “InterviewRTC,” the resulting experience gets clear sound, HD-quality video and better overall stability, making for a better experience for both sides of the interview process.
The WebRTC book, “WebRTC: APIs and RTCWEB Protocols of the HTML5 Real-Time Web,” stepped in with the next bit of news, as we took a look at the second edition of same. The second edition features a variety of updates, though just how effective it will be remains to be seen. This particular book was meant by its original authors to be constantly updated, and indeed, a wide variety of updates have already taken place with some beginning to wonder when the next version will emerge.
Then, we got a closer look at AnyMeeting, who became the first “full featured” conferencing provider to offer WebRTC support. Connecting WebRTC and conferencing is a natural progression—WebRTC allows for voice and video contact from a platform as simple as a Web browser, and conferencing requires the use of voice and video to make connections—so seeing AnyMeeting bring WebRTC support in was a great idea overall. The extra note of future proofing for AnyMeeting's systems as more users move toward WebRTC likely didn't hurt either.
Finally, we finished out the week with a look at personal WebRTC portals. While the concept of the personal WebRTC portal isn't exactly universal as yet, a lot of discussion has taken place on just what these portals are and how same should work. Much of this indecision stems from the large number of possibilities that are available within WebRTC itself, and thanks to its ability to handle video and voice traffic, all from within a Web browser, there's a lot of room to fine-tune the experience in certain directions, making standardization a bit difficult.
That was the week that was in the world of WebRTC, and there's plenty of ground to cover therein. This new technology is in its very earliest stages of development, and as such, there's room for plenty of new disruptive developments to show up in the field. Our global online community is constantly keeping an eye out for just such disruptions, and bringing the news about same right back here. So be sure to join us next week for all the biggest news in WebRTC, and every weekend for our Week in Review coverage!
