Taking a bite out of problem presentations

Along with new administrative and technical features, the company says, Brainshark Version 5.0 gives users the ability to listen to presentations via the telephone.

A Web-based communications platform used for creating, delivering, and managing rich-media presentations via the Internet, Brainsharkallows customers to use the phone to record a presenter's voice (the audio can also be captured from a live event). The audio is then streamed over the Web using standard media players Microsoft Windows Media Player or RealPlayer while the synchronized visual presentation is displayed in the viewer's Web browser.

Brainshark believes the option of hearing the audio portion of the presentation via telephone is particularly valuable when viewing confidential materials, such as financial information or proprietary knowledge that should be seen and heard only by the intended recipient. It also enhances ease-of-use for organizations that do not have multimedia-enabled PCs throughout their extended organizations, the company says.

A business alliance with Informio has enabled the telephone playback feature in 5.0.