sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sun/NC/north-carolina sunflash-Send requests, problems to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SunSolutions Introduces ShowMe 2.0 SunFLASH Vol 58 #25 October 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58.25 SunSolutions Introduces ShowMe 2.0 industry's first complete, easy-to-use desktop video conferencing solution that enables workstation users to collaborate interactively, in real time, with a full range of video, audio and screen sharing tools. SunSolutions will support ShowMe on multiple platforms. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SunSolutions made the following announcement today, October 25, 1993, regarding ShowMe 2.0. SMCC is working with SunSolutions to make the product easily available to SMCC customers and will provide details in a future notice. For product information from SunSolutions, please contact: John Quist, Product Manager, SunSolutions, (415) 688-9852. SUNSOLUTIONS UNVEILS INDUSTRY'S FIRST COMPLETE DESKTOP VIDEO CONFERENCING PRODUCT FOR WORKSTATIONS ShowMe 2.0 Offers Video, Audio, Application Sharing and Enhanced Whiteboard Capabilities SunSolutions Announces It Will Support Multiple Platforms MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- October 25, 1993 -- SunSolutions, the video conferencing and collaboration business of Sun Microsystems, Inc., today introduced ShowMe(TM) 2.0, the industry's first complete, easy-to-use desktop video conferencing solution that enables workstation users to collaborate interactively, in real time, with a full range of video, audio and screen sharing tools. ShowMe 2.0 broadly expands the capabilities of ShowMe 1.1, adding video, audio, application sharing and enhanced whiteboard features to the shared whiteboard facility of the previous version. Users can display, discuss, edit or annotate documents and images, display or send video, and share applications through a graphical user interface that is simple and intuitive. With video, users may see conference participants' gestures and expressions from their desktops just as they would in person. ShowMe 2.0 will ship in December 1993 running on SPARC(R) systems in the SunSoft Solaris(R) operating environment. Versions of ShowMe for Hewlett-Packard and IBM workstations, and for Intel platforms running on Microsoft(R) Windows and Solaris X86 will ship in 1994. "This is breakthrough technology for management," said Michele Parry, general manager of SunSolutions. "With ShowMe, businesses can push through the barriers of traditional communication and exchange information immediately and effectively. Now anything users can communicate in a meeting they can communicate right from the desktop, where they have easy access to their electronic files. The bottom line is that with desktop video conferencing, businesses can get their products and services to market faster, with higher quality results, at a lower cost." ShowMe 2.0 consists of ShowMe Video(TM), ShowMe Audio(TM), ShowMe SharedApp(TM) and ShowMe Whiteboard(TM). The capabilities work together, so customers can take advantage of any or all of them at the same time. ShowMe is based on the Motif(R) graphical user interface and operates on SPARC workstations over TCP/IP networks. ShowMe Video and ShowMe Audio ShowMe Video and ShowMe Audio enable users to hold face-to-face meetings from their desktops, allowing them to collaborate without the need for costly and time-consuming travel. A ShowMe video camera mounted on each user's workstation provides a live, full-color image of each participant, with audio input through SunMicrophone(TM) and output through the workstation's speakers. Users can modify the size of the video window and adjust the sound level through a graphical, easy-to-use menu. Automatic bandwidth allocation lets users adjust the transmission rate to optimize network usage. ShowMe Video also includes a one-way conference feature that supports multicast and allows participants to receive video without a SunVideo(TM) capture/compression SBus card. With video and audio functionality, ShowMe provides a rich communication environment. Users can take advantage of the video capabilities to display objects, such as product prototype models, or documents that are not resident on the system, such as newspaper headlines. In addition, conference participants may view pre-recorded video. ShowMe SharedApp The ShowMe SharedApp software enables multiple users to interact with a live application simultaneously in real time, with participants seeing the same view on their workstation screens. Remote users need not have the application loaded on their workstations in order to participate in the on-line meeting. SPARC systems running Solaris operating environment applications based on the X Window System Version 11 standards work with ShowMe SharedApp. In addition, Microsoft Windows applications supported by SunSelect's Wabi(TM) software are shareable. The ability to share applications increases user productivity in collaborative tasks. For example, an instructor can use ShowMe SharedApp to demonstrate an application remotely to new users, then pass the cursor control and guide students as they practice. With ShowMe SharedApp, a user can demonstrate a problem to customer support personnel and see a solution demonstrated in turn. In another example, engineers can collaborate on a computer-aided design. ShowMe Whiteboard SunSolutions' whiteboard software provides a shared "desktop conference board" that makes it easy for users to simultaneously view and annotate drawings, spreadsheets and other documents. Each user has a separate, personalized on-screen marker that is visible to all participants and can be used to express ideas visually by pointing, gesturing and making annotations as one would in a face-to-face meeting. ShowMe Whiteboard offers a number of enhancements to the shared whiteboard capabilities of ShowMe 1.1. The whiteboard now supports 24-bit images, making it possible to display high-quality graphics; multiple ShowMe Whiteboard sessions can now run on a single SPARC CPU, providing X-terminal support; and the product is based on the Motif graphical user interface for ease of use. With ShowMe Whiteboard, desktop conferencing participants can receive instant feedback and complete projects faster. Workgroups can collaborate in real time to create diagrams, list future action items, edit manuscripts, comment on presentation slides and discuss drawings. Pricing and Availability The ShowMe 2.0 product will be available at the end of 1993 through SunSolutions resellers. The U.S. suggested list price for ShowMe 2.0 is $3,270 for a single right-to-use license, and $8,430 for a three-user RTU license. A video camera and a SunVideo card are included with each license, along with CD media and documentation. An audiographics configuration, which includes ShowMe SharedApp, ShowMe Whiteboard and ShowMe Audio, is available for a U.S. suggested list price of $899 for a single RTU license, $1,650 for a three-user RTU license, $3,750 for a 10-user RTU license, and $26,200 for a 100-user RTU license. About SunSolutions SunSolutions, a business of Sun Microsystems, Inc., is dedicated to designing, developing and marketing video conferencing and collaboration products. The business is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., USA with a European office in Bagshot, U.K. # # # # Sun Microsystems, Sun, the Sun logo, SunSolutions, the SunSolutions logo, SunSelect, the SunSelect logo, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, the Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation logo, SunExpress, the SunExpress logo, ShowMe, ShowMe Whiteboard, ShowMe Video, ShowMe Audio, ShowMe SharedApp, Solaris, SunMicrophone, SunVideo and Wabi are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Motif is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard Corporation. 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