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July 10, 2014

Screenhero – Collaborative Screen Sharing Tools

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Teamwork is often stymied in an online environment, but Screenhero has created a way for colleagues to collaborate in real-time using integrated screen sharing tools. By being able to see what’s on each other’s screens, team members can present ideas, solve problems, and generally work together in the most effective way possible.

Download Screenhero for Mac or Windows, and then invite a collaborator to view what’s on your screen. Both you and your partner will have your own mouse cursors, and you can easily switch between driver and navigator as you work together toward accomplishing your goal. Screenhero’s voice chat feature allows you to speak to collaborators just like if you were in the same room, with 48kHz audio and echo cancellation. If something comes up and you’d like your privacy back, just pause your screen share temporarily by clicking the green icon. This stops the screen share, and it blocks your collaborator’s keyboard and mouse movements.

Screenhero says it establishes peer-to-peer connections about 92% of the time, with information going through its servers the remaining 8% of the time. The application requires at least 0.5Mbps of upload from the person sharing his or her screen. However, when those requirements are met, screen resolutions are incredibly clear and users truly feel like they’re working at the same desk.

Practical Uses:

  • Ask a colleague to help solve a technical problem on your computer
  • Code remotely with your friends
  • Present project ideas to your team without emailing any files
  • Draft a marketing pitch together with your team

Insider Tips:

  • Click the Screenhero icon on the menu bar to mute your voice during a call
  • Users must have at least 0.5Mbps of upload to share their screens at full resolution
  • Communication over Screenhero is encrypted using a P2P TLS scheme
  • An API is under development

What we liked:

  • Programmers can work together when they use Screenhero
  • Groups feel secure while working in Screenhero because communication is encrypted
  • Team members can point to elements on your screen with their own mouses
  • Screenhero works no matter what application a person is using

What we didn’t like:

  • Users can currently only be logged in to one computer with an account

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2013
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California
  • Founded by: Jahanzeb Sherwani, Vishal Kapur, Jason DiCioccio and Faraz Khan
  • Web site: http://screenhero.com

Costs:

  • Basic plan is free
  • Team plan is coming soon

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