Zoom on Wednesday announced it will make its video conferencing software available to use on the Google Nest Hub Max, Facebook Portal, and Amazon Echo Show smart displays later this year.
The announcement comes as a surprise considering these companies all have competing video conferencing solutions. Google has Meet, Facebook has Rooms, and Amazon has Chime. This is ultimately good news for the consumer because it means people working from home have more devices to choose from for joining meetings.
Smart displays have become a common gadget in households across the world, and thanks to their large displays, built-in touchscreens, and high-quality directional microphones, they’re the perfect devices for video conferencing. The experience will vary depending on which smart display you own, though. Facebook Portal devices will get a Zoom app, which users can launch like they would an app on a phone, tablet, or computer. Zoom for Facebook Portal will take advantage of the display’s “smart camera” technology to automatically keep users in the frame. Google Nest Hub Max and Amazon Echo Show 8 can launch Zoom meetings that are scheduled in a calendar. It’s not quite as seamless as on the Facebook Portal, but regardless, it’s nice that Zoom is even available on these devices at all, because the service is one of the market’s most popular video conferencing options.
Facebook Portal owners can start using Zoom starting this September, while Google Nest Hub Max and Amazon Echo Show 8 owners will get support later this year. Other smart displays with Google Assistant support will also be able to participate in Zoom calls.
If you want to video chat on an even bigger screen, Google this week announced Meet on Chromecast, which will allow Meet users to cast their meetings to any Chromecast device.
Via: USA Today