Google is trying to expand its Meet video conferencing software to more devices and make the hardware used for Meet more compatible with Zoom. On Wednesday, the company announced that its enterprise version of Meet will be available for devices running Android, where it traditionally runs on ChromeOS.
The latter change will start with devices from Poly and Logitech, but let’s back it up for a second here because I know some of you might be thinking “what do you mean, ChromeOS ? Meet isn’t just an app on my phone, or a website I can access, or a tab in Gmail, or…?” The answer is yes, but more so for business users . For years, the company has been selling dedicated Google Meet hardware for use in boardrooms and conference rooms, where you can theoretically join or manage meetings with just a tap of a touchscreen. These devices, and others like them designed for other video conferencing services like Zoom, are what we’re going to talk about today.
Poly’s Video Conferencing Stick (starts around $1,700 and goes up to $7,500) and can Meet devices that work with them.
Image: Google
Back to Logitech and Poly. The companies’ current systems, which look a bit like soundbars and cost thousands of dollars, include an array of speakers, microphones and cameras designed to make everyone look and sound their best during meetings. Starting in 2023, these devices—specifically the Logitech Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini and the Poly Studio X-series—will have the option to use an Android-based brain running Google Meet. Meet was previously available on some of these devices, but in theory, the native experience would be better.
Google also announced an interoperability meeting with Zoom’s Rooms system (similar to Google’s Enterprise Edition, but for Zoom). This means that people will be able to use their Meet hardware to make Zoom Room calls, and people with Zoom hardware will be able to use Meet on it. According to the company’s blog post, the interoperability feature, due later this year, will initially be supported by “all ChromeOS-based Meet devices,” such as those from Acer, Asus, and Lenovo, with support for other Meet devices over time. the passage of. Meet will be able to run on “all Zoom Rooms on all platforms.”
Google is known for its confusing messaging strategy, and the enterprise version isn’t as easy to grasp. However, the company does appear to be trying to simplify Meet by taking it to a more platform-agnostic place – and letting other companies’ services run on Meet hardware.
