by Ben Parr (MASHABLE)
Quick Pitch: Fuze Box provides applications that allow people to communicate, collaborate and conference from any device, anywhere in the world.
Genius Idea: Fuze Box, which presented earlier this week at the DEMO Conference, seeks to innovate on the standard conventions of business collaboration and the virtual meeting, a packed market dominated by players such as WebEx and GoToMeeting.
The product it launched at DEMO, Fuze Meeting, has similar functionality to its larger web conference competitors, but it offers several killer features. Our favorite though has to be the ability to access video meetings via the iPhone (and soon the BlackBerry).
While Fuze Meeting does have a mobile version, it’s primarily browser-based. This means no plug-ins or software installation is necessary. You can share your desktop, chat with other attendees via IM, and share files. However, Fuze Meeting can seamlessly stream HD video and high-res presentations to everyone in the room. You can even annotate these videos through the company’s Fuze Movie product.
Like we said though, the iPhone app is our favorite feature. From your iPhone, you can view screencasts, send IMs, host audio conferences, watch shared HD video, and bridge outside callers into the conference. With businesspeople on the go so often, it only makes sense to have a simple, easy-to-use mobile version.
Do we think Fuze Box and Fuze Meeting have great potential? Yes. Do we know if they will be able to compete in an already tough space? We can’t tell. Startups like Team Apart already have some of thse features in the browser. If Fuze is to survive, it must focus on being the best mobile meeting system around. Fuze Meeting costs $29/month or $279/year to use.
Mike Dickman 
There was a you tube video included in the original story, which I removed because I did not think it added any credibility to the potential of this product. I would ask that each of you do a little research on the product, outside of watching the video and return to my blog to comment.
All great ideas but I would also add another item to it: consider doing a virtual event/meeting. Virtual events and meetings are a great way to stay in front of customers, generate new leads and help close business already in the pipeline. These solutions are being deployed so rapidly by companies that the market is projected to exceed $18 billion by 2015. If you are interested in how you can use virtual environments attend the Virtual Edge Summit Feb. 22-23 (virtually or in-person if you are in/near Silicon Valley). There is no registration fee if you take a short survey.
Virtual Edge Summit 2010 is the only event that focuses exclusively on providing education, training and solutions for planning and producing virtual events, meetings and communities. Over 2 days, 80 experts will share their experience with you, and be available for one-on-ones. The event also offers a rich program for featuring experts from Cisco, Stanford, IBM, Disney SAP, Oracle, Intel as well as top virtual technology and service providers like InXpo, ON24, 6Connex, Stream57, CGS VirtualEvents365, George P. Johnson, Unisfair and Digitell.
When: February 22-23, 2010 8am until 6pm
Where: At the Santa Clara Convention Center in California and virtually in browser based virtual environments offering 2D and 3D experiences.
Register at http://www.VirtualEdgeSummit.com