Q&A: PlaceWare CEO George Garrick

Q&A: PlaceWare CEO George Garrick "We're always looking at ways of making our product better. In the next few months we're introducing a new client interface that will be based on native Windows rather than Java, which is what we use today. That was a decision that we made some months ago even before Microsoft even contacted us. It gives us a better functionality such as drop down menus and right clicking. We are also working to do more to embed audio multimedia so that you will be able to control the phone call right from the product."
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Q: How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?
The military uses PlaceWare in the Middle East and they use it to connect soldiers in the field with controllers up in the airplanes with people back in the Pentagon.
Q: And they'll be connected by satellite?
We use existing Internet connections and phone lines. What happens behind the scenes is irrelevant. For example, you'll have a general up in a like an EC2 one of the big reconnaissance planes - sort of like a flying command center -- and you'll have officer and field staff on the ground all they'll all be using PlaceWare to coordinate battle plans and information on the enemy. We've seen an increase in our business in the last few months as part of the security issues overseas."

(some quotes from p. 2 of interview; found via Microsoft Watch)