Voicethread x Splashcast x Qlipboard

Voicethread, Splashcast and Qlipboard are all tools that unite pictures and voice in slideshows. In order to compare them, I created a virtual tour around Brasília (my hometown) in each one of them. The tour is the same: same pictuers and same narration, because the idea was to really compare all the features offered. So here are the results followed by my review. Positive aspects are in blue and negative ones in red.
If there is any wrong information here (or extra information which I did not initially include), it was probably because I didn't explore the tools fully, so feel free to tell me and I'll readily update the reviews.

You can also check my own personal examples using voicethread and splashcast with my EFL students in the first semester of 2008.

Enjoy your tour!

Voicethread:

• The easiest to use. Dashboard is really user-friendly, with simple functions like upload and record.
• Comments can be left in voice or text forms
• Voice comments can be added with a cell phone too
  
• Comments are attached to specific pictures
• Comments are added to the original narration
  
• Pictures can be uploaded from your computer, flickr, facebook or you can just type their urls
• Besides pictures, you can also upload videos and documents
• Powerpoint/impress slides can be easily uploaded
  
• You can embed full-sized or small-sized versions
• There is comment moderation option
  
• It lets you doodle with the images, but only while you're recording
• You can create only 3 threads for free in the same account
• You can only add voice by recording online. You cannot record first, add effects, treat the audio and then upload the mp3 file.
• Visitors need to sign up for a voicethread account in order to leave comments.
  

Splashcast:

• Easy, but not as easy as voicethread. Dashboard is not as user-friendly because it offers more options, like designation of channels and players (which you need to create in order to get the html code).
• Pictures can be uploaded from your computer, flickr, or you can just type their urls
• You can record online or use any other audio recorder to make an mp3 file to be uploaded to one specific picture later
  
• Besides pictures, you can also upload videos and documents
• Comments are attached to specific pictures
• Comments can be left in voice, video or text forms
• Unlimited number of shows can be created for free
• Comments are stored in a separate "comments" area
• Visitors don't need to have a splashcast account in order to leave comments
  
• You can't doodle with the pictures (which might be good...)
• There is no comment moderation option (but comments can be easily deleted)
  

Qlipboard (online version):
The most traditional one is the offline version, which I

• It lets you doodle a lot with the picture, with pen, highlighter and text options. You can also change the colors of your drawing and texts
• There is no need to sign up for an account
  
• It allows only voice comments
  
• The most limited one because it doesn't create a slideshow connecting the pictures, but just one picture with voice narration

The idea of this review is not to make one tool look good and the other(s) bad. I believe their particular features fit different purposes. So the choice of which tool to use in an activity lies in the goals of the activity.