Use GoToMeeting, WebEx, or Fuse Meeting from Your iPhone or iPad to Attend Virtual Meetings from Anywhere
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Yes, you can attend important business meetings and presentations from a beach, your bedroom, or any other non-office setting by using your Apple iPhone and iPad.
The concept of web conferences or virtual meetings using the Internet to connect people at different locations, and allowing them to talk while simultaneously sharing information on their computer screens in real-time has changed the way many companies do business.
This extremely affordable technology is actively being used by companies of all sizes for a wide range of purposes, such as the following:
- Boosting employee productivity by keeping people connected.
- Encouraging people to collaborate on projects from separate locations.
- Increasing sales by transforming traditional sales calls into highly engaging interactive presentations.
- Reducing training costs by hosting live, interactive training sessions via the web, as opposed to in person.
- Cutting travel expenses and travel time.
- Providing technical support. Clients can share their computers' desktops, allowing your support team to efficiently resolve technical issues remotely.
GoToMeeting, and other services like it, are also successfully being used by consultants in all industries who opt to provide their services remotely.
GoToMeeting
One of the pioneers in the virtual meeting field is Citrix Systems, Inc., with its GoToMeeting software for PCs and Macs.
Back in April 2010, the company launched a free iPad app that now allows people to attend online-based virtual meetings hosted by GoToMeeting from virtually anywhere.
Bernd Oliver Christiansen, vice president and chief technology officer of Citrix Online, describes the product:
"The GoToMeeting App for iPad makes meetings-to-go effortless and visually stunning. Increasing demands on the workforce have created an acute need for more mobility in our work styles. Most businesses have moved beyond the traditional 9am to 5pm workday, and need to maximize every minute of their time to be as productive as possible. We believe the GoToMeeting app for iPad is a great asset for mobile work productivity, since it goes places where workers wouldn't necessarily take a laptop, yet they are still able to attend meetings and get some serious work done."
Virtual meetings hosted by GoToMeeting are free to attend. All an attendee needs is a high-speed Internet connection, along with the GoToMeeting software running on their PC, Mac, or iPad.
The host of a virtual meeting that utilizes GoToMeeting pays a flat monthly fee, starting at $49.00 per month, to host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 15 attendees each.
Attendees using a PC or Mac to participate in a meeting can utilize audio conferencing via voice-over-IP service (using their computer's microphone and speakers), while simultaneously being able to view whatever the meeting host is showcasing on their computer screen, such as a PowerPoint presentation or a spreadsheet report. People can also collaborate on Word documents, for example.
Thanks to the GoToMeeting app for iPad, Apple tablet users can do everything a meeting attendee using a PC or Mac can do, such as see who is presenting, who's talking at any given moment, and who else is attending the meeting[md]all from their iPad's screen.
Using the GoToMeeting iPad app, meeting attendees can view exactly what is on the presenter's screen, and simultaneously join a voice conversation via voice-over-IP (through the iPad's built-in microphone and speakers, or using any headset connected to the tablet).
iPad users get the best results when using a headset in conjunction with utilizing the voice-over-IP feature of the app. However, attendees can also dial in using a regular phone (or cell phone), and use their iPad to view the on-screen presentation aspects of the meeting.
The GoToMeeting iPad app was designed to utilize some of the tablet's key features, such as its Multi-Touch interface, to zoom in on content being showcased during a meeting.
It is ideal for easily "attending" meetings and webinars from remote locations. When an attendee gets invited to virtual meetings via email, the iPad user simply needs to tap a link embedded within the invitation email to connect to a meeting and launch the app.
From within the app, the user can manually enter a meeting ID and their username to be connected to a meeting within seconds.
Currently, the meeting host must be using version 4.0, 4.1, or 4.5 of GoToMeeting on their Mac or PC for iPad users to be able to participate using the GoToMeeting app, although version 4.5 offers the best results.
To download the free GoToMeeting iPad app from the App Store, visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gotomeeting/id363452804.
To view a free demo showcasing how GoToMeeting works on an iPad, visit http://www.gotomeeting.com/iPad. This app allows the user to attend an unlimited number of meetings with anyone, anytime.
Business owners, entrepreneurs, and consultants, for example, who are interested in hosting virtual meetings to be attended by iPad (as well as PC and Mac) users can try out the GoToMeeting service during a free 30-day trial, before signing up for a month-to-month or annual contract.