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Flash Out of the Pan – Adobe Connect 10.5 Upgrades to Fully Featured HTML Web Conferencing
When even Adobe is phasing Flash out of its products, you know it’s a dead format. With the release of Adobe Connect 10 last year, the Santa Clara, California-based software firm moved its web conferencing software onto an entirely new, HTML-based platform. Now Adobe is announcing that version 10.5, anticipated for this summer, will see even more features from the desktop version available in the download-free web browser version.
The new features will upgrade Connect’s HTML-only client to allow more files to be natively shared between users. Adobe makes a point that its collaboration capabilities go beyond screen sharing. It can natively support slide decks (PPT), PDF documents, video (MP4), audio (MP3), and whiteboard files so all users see the most-high-quality view possible and have more control over their experience.
Connect is one of the most expensive web conferencing solutions on the market, so it needs rich features like native file sharing to justify its fee. Unlike budget solutions that seek to simply connect screens as quickly as possible, Adobe lets professionals that rely on web presentations have more control over the experience they offer and ensures high fidelity. With the impending 10.5 upgrade later this summer, Connect users will see those high-end features included in an experience that begins with the simple sharing of a link.
The ability to pre-populate virtual conference rooms with content and then re-arrange the application windows around it and offer a custom experience is a big time-save for some users. Those who benefit from it will happily pay the higher price tag.
As for the fact that Connect has moved beyond Flash, with so many rich features available, the user will never miss it.
Source: Announcing Adobe Connect 10.5
Source: SoftwareReviews Web Conferencing Data Quadrant published April 10, 2019
Our Take
Offering a one-click experience to join a web conference is a must-have feature in this category. Users often won’t put up with having to download a client or may even be blocked from doing so by IT policies. With Adobe Connect 10.5, Adobe looks ready to continue delivering that experience in its new, post-Flash paradigm, and now with even more of the rich features that make Connect well-rated among its users.