Skrbl is an online whiteboard application available in two versions: a Team Edition that costs $10/month and a Free Edition. The Team Edition gives you phone/chat functionality, supports 5 users, and gives you 250 MB file storage. The Free Edition supports a single user and offers 10 MB file storage. I tried the Free version, but you can compare the specs for yourself to decide whether you’re willing to pay for more functionality.
After you register for your free account, you’ll notice two important icons across the top of the whiteboard: the letter A and a pencil. Click on the letter A and you get access to a text function with a toolbar that feels a lot like Microsoft Word. Every time you click on the whiteboard, a movable text box appears. You can underline your text, put it in bold, put it in italics, do a strikethrough, align it, add numbered and unnumbered bullet points, and choose from seven fonts, five font sizes and six text colors.
To draw, you click on the pencil icon. You can make your own custom-sized square or rectangle, stretch out a straight line in any direction, make a circle or oval, or just scribble freehand. Your “marker” writes in eight different colors and five different thicknesses. Besides all that, you can upload files and photos, and even search for certain words you’ve typed with the handy search box at the bottom of your board.
So how does Skrbl compare to Scriblink? I prefer Skrbl’s text function simply because it feels more like a text editor, while Scriblink doesn’t allow you to go back and change or delete text once you’ve moved your cursor - you have to manually erase as you would with a drawing. Also, Skrbl gives you a bigger whiteboard surface.
But while I give Skrbl the edge when it comes to text, I like Scriblink for its graphics. While Skrbl gives you several fixed choices in terms of color and thickness, Scriblink provides a continuous palette and thickness slider that gives you more flexibility.
Both applications offer plenty of functionality when it comes to simulating an authentic whiteboard experience. If you like graphics and free chat, I recommend Scriblink. But if you want a comprehensive and flexible text editor, go with the Free version of Skrbl.
Posted by Taeho Lim
