As face-to-face meetings start to phase out of existence, more focus is being placed on digital video conferencing. And not just the software, but hardware too. Which is why Asus announced new video conferencing hardware designed to run Google Meet meetings.
This includes a small computer aimed at running the software to make video or voice calls, an external speaker to hear your colleagues (or fam) and a separate camera. Although it is primarily aimed at office-conferencing situations, the kit will be perfect for at-home workers who want a proprietary setup just for conferencing, so the laptop can be free to do whatever work you have while on a call.
The mini-computer is called the Google Meet Compute System and features an Intel Core i7 processor as well as a 128GB SSD. It’s fitted with a magnetic chassis, you know, for sticking the thing against an accompanying stand and placing it at just the right angle. Don’t want Jen from marketing seeing your bad side, for what it’s worth.
There’s a Starter Kit and Small/Medium Room Kit, and both are designed mainly for conference rooms with up to eight people, according to The Verge. Obviously there aren’t many conference rooms operating right now, and they definitely won’t have eight people in them according to current COVID-19 regulations.
But the paired camera comes with a 120-degree field of view and even the ability to zoom in up to 4X without losing 720p image quality. Along with the other kits, there’s a Large Room Kit, which is designed for conference zooms with up to 20 people and to be used with Logitech’s PTZ Pro 2 Camera which features 1080p resolution.
We don’t know whether these conferencing kits will make it to SA just yet, but will keep you updated on local availability and pricing.
Sauce: 9to5Google
