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Zoom Branching into Google Nest, Facebook Portal Displays and Amazon Echo

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to the massive exodus to remote working in our history. Due to the travel bans and lockdowns, a good portion of the world’s white-collar workforce is now working from home. As a result, internet services, remote working services, and video calling applications have been witnessing exponential rises in user strength. That is why, in the last few months, several companies have branched into or improved their video-calling and remote-working enabling technologies. Zoom has been a significant player in the field of remote communication, and they are now working towards expanding their current line-up. Here’s a look at how Zoom will be improving accessibility by making their service compatible with new devices.

Zoom’s Expansion

Zoom has released plans that will see it expanding to several new devices before the end of this year. Recent announcements state that the company will be making its services available through Facebook Portal, Amazon Echo, and even Google Nest Hub Max. The move is a significant expansion plan for the video conferencing conglomerate that has been having a successful year so far. Furthermore, the company also has plans to branch out into their unique line of video conferencing hardware solutions. These devices which will feature advanced directional microphones, smart displays, and built-in high-quality touchscreens, will provide users with a great video conferencing experience.

Zoom Entering Hardware Space

Zoom’s announcement that it will launch a new touchscreen device shocked several experts around the world. The device, titled Zoom For Home — DTEN ME, will start shipping in August and will cost $599. This 27-inch smart display touchscreen device will feature three webcams and eight built-in state-of-the-art noise-reducing microphones. The device also comes preloaded with the Zoom app, and the company is launching this project in collaboration with DTEN. DTEN will handle the hardware part of the device, being a San Jose-headquartered company that deals in videoconferencing technology manufacturing.

The device has a simple and intuitive interface, featuring contact displays, meeting dashboards, and whiteboards. Though experts feel that $599 might be steep for such a device, the company explained that the system made it easier for people to work remotely. They will no longer have to install the app or configure it on their various devices if they use the DTEN.

Integration with Big Players

Zoom’s integration with Amazon, Facebook, and Google will prove to be an important strategic decision for the future. It will also bring forth massive changes for these tech giants. Prior to this, these companies have exclusively stuck to their own unique in-house chatting services. While Google relied on Google Meet, Facebook users made use of Facebook Messenger for video conferencing. Reports state that the Portal will be the first third-party service to avail of Zoom, and the initial roll-out phase will happen in September.

Facebook Takes the Lead

However, all three companies will be implementing this integration in different ways. Facebook will add the Zoom App, along with a bunch of new services, including Webex, BlueJeans, and GoToMeeting. Furthermore, the application will use the smart camera provided and powered by Facebook to keep users in the frame, the same way Messenger and Whatsapp work. Zoom will be available on the Portal +, Portal Mini, and Portal devices, with Portal TV coming into the fold shortly.

Also, the social media giant will make Portal less reliant on Facebook accounts. The addition of a Workplace account for the Portal will help users log in without having to use their Facebook or Whatsapp accounts. Facebook states that the inclusion of such a Work account will become available in the weeks to come.

Google and Amazon to Follow

Meanwhile, Google will rely on Calendar and Assistant to pull and add Zoom meetings for its users. Furthermore, the tech giant will also allow users to start sessions using voice commands through its Assist feature. However, since the Nest Hub can link only to a single account, users may find it challenging to juggle meetings and personal video calls through Zoom.

Amazon will be taking a similar approach with Alexa, allowing Echo Show systems to sync with the calendar and Virtual Assistant. Doing so will enable the system to automatically join meetings without users having to input IDs and passwords. The system will also support all Alexa voice commands, with the rollout beginning later this year with the Echo Show 8.

It will be interesting to see how this cross-over pans out for everyone involved. With the roll-out becoming functional from September, we might be able to see this move impact sale of Zoom’s hardware devices. As per Zoom CPO Oded Gal, this move will make it easier than ever before for people to use video communication effectively in both their professional and personal lives.

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Amazon Gears up for its Annual Hardware Event to be Held on 25th Spet

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We have not even got over with the Apple Event held on 10th September yet, and now, Amazon has also announced one, that will take place on 25th September at its Seattle HQ. The company, in the announcement, said on Thursday that the upcoming ‘hardware and services’ event will cover some new launches and upgrades in its existing products as its previous Amazon event did last year.

In the last year’s event, the company came up with the new Amazon Echo products, Alexa-controlled microwave, a wall clock with Alexa built-in and many more things. For now, the company is mute on what ‘new’ the company be hiding in its robe, and what would be the major highlight of the Amazon event. But through the previous launches, there is an estimation that the Amazon Echo and Amazon Fire TV might be the among the things Amazon will be talking about.

Previously in the CES 2019, the company completely bragged about Alexa, and how its partners are up to integrate it with anything at one’s home, from TVs to home security systems, from a dog bowl to a lawnmower, from headphones to speakers, etc.

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Image Source: geekwire.com

And after the company announced a new Fire TV Cube as well as new Fire TV series during the IFA 2019, earlier this month, the Amazon partners are focusing on its Fire TV software and embedding it into new televisions and smart speakers, as well. So quite possibly the company may be discussing the same along with its new launches.

Along with that, it is expected that there will surely some new upgrades to the amazon’s Echo speakers, like a refresh to the standard echo speakers. Though it had launched the Echo Plus last year, with Alexa being almost everywhere, there might be some good changes to the smart speakers to make it more useful with Alexa, similar to Apple’s Homepod. There may also be some better changes to the services like Amazon Prime the company has been offering to its users.

Until the next announcement, we can only make the estimations, but since the Amazon event is not too far, we do not have to wait long either.

Alexa Users Gets Ad-supported Music Streaming for Free

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Though the rumours of Amazon rolling out an ad-supported streaming music service was making rounds till the last week, it was not final that when the company will launch the said service. Amazon, on Thursday, confirmed that all the company’s Echo products will now be streaming the ad-supported music service for free.

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Image Source: sonos.com

The Echo-devices will now be able to play music from the top playlists of Amazon Music Unlimited, and the user does not have to be an Amazon Prime or Amazon Music Unlimited member. Baing ad-supported, the music streaming service, from Amazon, will play smaller ads in between the songs in random time intervals.

Earlier, the users needed to subscribe for the Prime membership to use the music streaming service bundled to it, or they could buy a separate plan to use Amazon Music Unlimited, by paying a monthly $3.99 fee to use on an Echo device and $9.99 fee to use the service on a non-echo device.

Noticeably, the company has announced the news on the same day Google launched the ad-supported free YouTube Music streaming on Google Home smart devices. Also, Amazon has directly challenged its another rival, Spotify, that was the only music streaming service to provide free as well as paid service to its users.

Amazon, along with its ad-supported music streaming service has introduced referral deals to its subscribers, to get more users to buy its Alexa-powered family of Echo, other smart home devices, and its Prime membership. The music streaming service included in the free membership includes over 2 million songs in different languages, and the paid subscription plan of the same service has a library of over 50 million songs. Noticeably, last year, Amazon’s music streaming service alone had tens of millions of active subscribers, and the company sold over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices last year.

Having a music streaming service for free from the same company, as the smart speaker belongs to, is a better choice for every Echo speaker owner, as they do not have to pay extra money for a music streaming service from other company to play on those devices. Also, this is quite a move by the company to increase the sales of its smart speakers over smart speakers from its rival companies.

Amazon Added New Product to its Echo Speaker Series

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Amazon hosted its hardware event in Seattle, Washington, in the Amazon’s Spheres biodome, located next to its corporate office. In the one hour of the hardware event, senior vice president of devices and services, Dave Limp claimed to showcase 70 products, including 13 new devices and new software updates. The event was a sign that Amazon is trying really hard to expand in every field.

In the new launch, Amazon has focussed on its Echo-branded speakers as its priority. It has updated its Echo Dot, Echo Plus, and Echo Show speakers, enhancing the sound and look up to 70 per cent.

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Image Source: techhive.com

The exterior of those speakers has also been changed to a better version increasing the size of the speakers. Even the addition o new features to the speakers, these are still available at the same price. The Echo Dot is available for $69.64 (Rs 4,499) and the Echo Plus, with a larger 3-inch Neodymium woofer is available for $208 (Rs 14,999). The Echo Show, on the other hand, is out with improved sound, 10-inch HD display and even support for Microsoft’s Skype for video calling. The Echo Show with its new update, have got a web browser access for the users, on which the user can play music or search any recipe. The cost of Echo Show’s new updated version is $228 (Rs 16,407).

The major new products that Amazon has launched, comprises the series of the Echo Companion speakers. The Echo Companion series covers the Echo Sub, Echo Link, Echo Link Amp, and the Echo Input. The cost of the Echo Sub is $130 (Rs. 9334) and can be used by plugging into one or two Echos. The Echo Link and Echo Link Amp are the Sub Bwoofer, that can be paired with a stereo, making the stereo an Alexa-powered sound station. The latter product is having an additional amplifier, as well. The Echo Link is $200 (Rs 14360) box and the Echo Link Amp costs around $300 (RS 21540). The Echo Input has a four-microphone array, that is built for receiving commands from any of the rooms in a house, and is designed to support multiroom audio, so, that you can play the same song in multiple rooms.

Amazon is not only providing you with the home speakers but, also has entered into your car. It has launched an in-car speaker, powered by Alexa: Echo Auto. The Echo Auto uses the Amazon Smart Plug, worth $24.99 (Rs 24.99), and the price of the former is $49 (Rs 3518), and $25 (Rs 1795) for special invites.

Along with the speakers and the subwoofers, a wall clock with a ring of LEDs around the clock face, compatible with all of the Amazon Echo devices, costing $29.99 (Rs 2153), the Fire TV Recast DVR box providing 500GB storage, costing $229 (Rs 16442) and a microwave oven enabled by Alexa, costing $59.99 (Rs 4307), were also launched during the event. The products are ready for pre-order and will be available by the end of October 2018.