Zoom rolls out all-in-one home communications appliance.
Video Communications platform, Zoom has rolled out an all-in-one home communications appliance dubbed, Zoom for Home – DTEN ME.
The communications appliance is being produced by partner DTEN consisting of a standalone 27-inch screen, a large tablet that has three wide-angle cameras designed for high-resolution video, and 8 microphones.
In addition, the device has the Zoom software pre-loaded and the interface is made to provide easy access to popular Zoom features.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Head of Zoom Rooms, Jeff Smith said, “Zoom for Home is an initiative from Zoom that allows any Zoom user to deploy a personal collaboration device for their video meetings, phone calls, interactive whiteboard annotation — all the good stuff that you want to do on Zoom, you can do with a dedicated purpose-built device.”
In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom has substituted the traditional way of holding meetings due to people being forced to observe physical distancing however, the company has found out that employees often struggle to set up to hold a zoom meeting.
With this in mind, Zoomed rolled out this device where users launch the interface by entering a pairing code on a website on a laptop or mobile phone. Once the interface appears, users must simply touch the function they prefer such as making a phone call or starting a meeting, and it connects automatically.
Furthermore, users can connect their calendar so that all meetings appear in a sidebar that can be touched to connect.
Also, the ultrasonic pairing feature between the appliance and your laptop or mobile phone allows users to share their screen. It works like Bluetooth, but instead of sending out a radio signal, it sends out a sound between 18 and 22 kHz, which most people cannot hear, to connect the two devices, Smith further stated.
According to Smith, Zoom will launch with two additional partners; the Neat Bar and the Poly Studio X Series.
The DTEN appliance will cost $599 and works with an existing Zoom license.
As of now, the company is taking pre-orders since the devices are expected to ship next month.