[At Wired 2014] Tokbox: Not just any old web chat

Shivvy J

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By Roland Drewell, TokBox (@tokbox)

13 October 2014: You’ll likely agree that email, text messages & social media are really great ways to stay in touch and informed. They’ve revolutionised the business of communication. However, there’s no denying that these pure digital forms of communicating, whilst super convenient, are also a little on the impersonal side – particularly when it comes to business. Moreover, trying to make them seem ‘friendlier’ runs the risk of misinterpretation!

With just a few lines of code, this service has full cross-browser compatibility and will work with any website or mobile app.

So it’s a good thing that digital ways of “talking” don’t stop at the written word.

The fact is, if you can’t see someone’s face, it’s really impossible to gauge how interested that person is in what you are talking about. But that’s just the beginning.

The possibilities that real-time face to face video communications offer are vast.

As a gamer, you could see the expression on your opponents face (and spur them on as you battle!); as a patient you could talk to your doctor without leaving the house. An engineer out in the field could use a smartphone to video a live stream back to base to diagnose a problem, and if you were involved in a car accident you could video the scene straight to your insurance company. In this way, non-verbal cues are especially important and something that phone calls just don’t offer.

This then begets the question : Why settle for these when the technology exists to enable video chats… well, as long as the person you wish to connect with is registered on the same platform. Bit of a pain if you wish to make your services available to “the general public”. And that is where Tokbox is different, because with just a few lines of code the service has full cross-browser compatibility and will work with any website or mobile app.

It uses Web RTC (Web Real Time Communications) to facilitate live face to face video, and can communicate seamlessly across all major internet access technologies including Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. This is because Tokbox operates with OpenTok, a flexible platform to bring the best possible experience to your browser or device through simple APIs (application programme interface) which allow two software programmes to communicate with each other. This is a big deal.

The service also requires NO software for the end user to download or install as it works directly in the web browser. We think that is pretty nifty (and so did Telefónica who acquired the company in 2012).

This year we’re lucky enough to have been selected to exhibit at the WIRED conference. WIRED2014 is a two-day London event that brings WIRED magazine to life. With insights from over 45 speakers, an interactive Test Lab product area and excellent networking opportunities, it attracts a an influential and exciting group comprising disrupters, inventors, designers, business leaders, policymakers and more.

Together with Telefónica we will be at this year’s Test Lab demonstrating how the technology works, by offering live Tarot card readings via Tokbox (yes you read that right!). We look forward to sharing the experience with you post event.