Two New Collaboration Tools.

Working remotely means I’m always watching for new ways to edit documents with others in real time. The current state-of-the-art leaves a lot to be desired, but two new, browser-based tools released today give me hope that progress is being made.

Squad is a text editor with support for chat, syntax highlighting, and the killer feature of opening and saving local files. You’re going to need to pony-up for that last feature, however. It’s $39/month for a five person account with file access. Check out EtherPad for a disposable alternative.

In the collaborative whiteboarding arena, Flock Draw compares favorably with existing free options. It has colors, a smooth UI, responsive performance, and all the features of primitive painting application. Until they address the lack of full-screen mode and ability to save your work, however, it’s just a novelty.