Adobe overhauls Connect meeting service

Adobe has unveiled an updated version of its Connect web meeting service, boasting an overhauled user interface, greater mobile support and the ability to link with videoconferencing systems.

Adobe Connect 8 is touted as a significant update to the service, bringing more flexible collaboration capabilities and enhanced audio and video integration for richer multimedia.

Arun Anantharaman, vice president for Adobe Connect, described the new release as "transformative".

"It enables organisations to standardise on a single web conferencing platform to support a variety of use cases," he said.

Key new features include a simplified user interface, and a software development kit to extend the features of the system.

This supports Adobe's Flex, Flash and ActionScript 3, and allows developers to create custom on-screen 'pods' or build code to integrate Connect with other systems.

Universal Voice, introduced in Connect Pro 7.5, has been updated so that customers can link participants on VoIP and conventional telephone audio conferencing systems into an Adobe Connect session.

The capability to link with other conferencing systems has also been extended to video in Connect 8, enabling meeting hosts to bring live audio and video broadcast streams directly into an Adobe Connect room, the firm said.

Adobe introduced a Connect client for the iPhone earlier this year, but this now supports the iPad, Android and other devices with Adobe's Flash technology, the company said.

Also new is Adobe Connect Desktop, an application based on Adobe's AIR framework that lets users set up and manage meetings right from their computer.

Adobe Connect 8 is set to be available for on-premise deployments by the end of November. US customers will also be able to access a hosted version, with a phased roll-out to other parts of the world from February 2011.

Pricing for the new version has yet to be disclosed.