Groove Networks is updating its collaboration software this week, releasing a beta version of Groove 3.0. It is available to licensed users of Groove version 2.0 and higher, and the final version is expected to roll out in early summer.
Groove's software, which was first released in 2000, uses a peer-to-peer networking model to connect users. Groove Workspaces serve as virtual offices, where geographically dispersed coworkers can store files and folders, save threaded discussions, share calendars, track project information and timelines, meet online, share a whiteboard, and communicate through chat and instant messenger.
New in version 3.0 are secure file- and folder-sharing capabilities; a Groove LaunchPad for easier organization and navigation; and expanded user alerts. A new forms-building tool lets users easily create applications for capturing, tracking, and sharing information among users.
Groove's software, currently available in version 2.5, costs $69 per user for the Standard edition; $149 per user for the Professional edition, which adds a server capability; and $199 for the Project edition, which features project management tools from a Groove partner. As of July 1, 2004, the Professional edition will cost $179 per user and the Project edition will cost $229 per user. The price for the Standard edition will remain at $69.
File-Sharing Debuts
The new file-sharing feature in version 3.0 turns Windows Explorer into somewhat of a Groove Workspace. When Groove is installed on your desktop, you simply open a Windows folder that you have created to store files. The folder will display a Groove icon, showing that you can share that folder with a Groove contact. You give them access by entering their e-mail address. Groove sends a message offering access and when they accept, Groove creates a duplicate folder on their PC and sends them their own copies of all of the files yours contains.
Folders can be synchronized with any number of Groove users, and the contents are updated on each desktop when any user makes changes. Groove transfers files with 192-bit encryption for security, and the data can travel through firewalls.
When the final version of 3.0 is released, it will add a chat feature to this folder-sharing capability, according to Groove developers. This will let users chat with others within their desktop folders.
The file-sharing feature allows single users to run Groove, which has often involved a server and workgroup configuration. A $69 Standard version one-user license allows you to install Groove software on all of your PCs. This enables you to automatically synchronize common files and folders across PCs at, say, the office and at home. It can save you from repeatedly e-mailing files to yourself, or transferring data via a USB thumb drive.
If users are offline when changes are made, the updates are delivered as soon as they log on. Or, Groove can alert users as changes are made, or when they peruse Groove Workspaces. The Alerts feature, added in version 2.0, is much richer in version 3.0, says Andrew Mahon, director of strategic marketing for Groove Networks. You can choose to be notified when a certain user enters a Workspace and opens a certain item. What's more, the alert offers a link that will take you to that same Workspace and item, where you can chat with that fellow user.
Other New Features
Also new in version 3.0 is the LaunchPad, which gives users one starting place from which to view all of their Groove information. You can view workspaces and contacts, send messages, and create new Workspaces from the LaunchPad.
Groove version 3.0's added forms builder enables users--even those without developer skills--to create a custom business process application. A small-business user could, for example, create a customer-tracking application by dragging and dropping fields onto the form, Mahon says. Then, the user can share the forms with other Groove users.
In addition, version 3.0 provides Workspace templates for designing Groove Workspaces. Its enhanced performance will enable it to start up faster and require less bandwidth, Mahon says.
