No Jitter Roll: Meeting Device Updates

This week we share announcements around team collaboration and videoconferencing platform updates, meeting room A/V solutions, and messaging channel support.

 

Microsoft this week shared several announcements around integrations and a virtual meeting background, and we learned of changes to Microsoft’s shared virtual background.

 

First, Microsoft announced that the Salesforce app is now GA for Teams. With the integration, users can bring account data and records from Salesforce into their Teams workspace, Microsoft said. Additionally, users can pin customer records to Teams channel tabs and chat, edit records directly within Teams, and @ mention Salesforce records like accounts, cases, contacts, leads, and opportunities, Microsoft said.

 

Separately, Microsoft revealed several downloadable backgrounds that pay homage to various of its legacy products and services. These backgrounds include one for Clippy, Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Paint, and the default wallpaper for Windows XP (a photo of California’s Wine Country), Microsoft said. Backgrounds are available for download from the custom meeting background page here.

 

Lastly, Teams Developer Preview users can host meetings in Together Mode with as few as two people, as reported in this The Verge article. As of press time, Microsoft had not made any official announcements regarding smaller Together Mode meetings or when this capability will be available.

 

UCaaS provider RingCentral shared in a blog post this week several new features for its RingCentral app, including:

 

 

UCaaS provider Ooma this week announced that it has updated Meetings, its videoconferencing platform, with remote control and meeting log capabilities.

 

Remote Control allows Meeting participants to request permission to operate a user’s computer with their mouse and keyboard as if that participant were sitting in that user’s place, Ooma said. This feature, which aims to benefit group presentations and tech support, is available to internal users who attend a meeting via Ooma's Office app or guests using the Meetings desktop app, Ooma added.

 

Meanwhile, Meeting Logs keeps a record of attendees and occurrences within a meeting for up to 30 days, listing attendee’s names and the length of time they stayed in the meeting, Ooma said. Meeting hosts can view logs for any meeting regularly hosted in the Office desktop app by selecting the Meetings tab.

 

Blustream, a wireless monitoring device manufacturer, this week announced general availability for its AMF41W 4K Advanced Wireless Presentation Switch, an all-in-one BYOD solution designed for wireless presentation in boardrooms, conference rooms, classrooms, and huddle rooms. The AMF41W comes equipped with a localized 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi hotspot, HDMI, AirPlay, and Miracast inputs, enabling presenters to wirelessly share multimedia content, Blustream said. The AMF41W supports resolution up to 4K UHD 60Hz 4:2:0/4K 30Hz 4:4:4. Additional features include multi-viewing capabilities, configurable screen layouts, auto display controls, and support for seven concurrent video signals, Blustream added.

 

A/V manufacturer QSC, this week announced that its Q-SYS Platform for meeting rooms now is now certified for use with Zoom Rooms. The platform centers on the Core 8 Flex processor, which combines audio, video, and control into a single appliance. Additionally, QSC said it has worked with Sennheiser, one of its ecosystem partners, on a packaged solution that includes the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone in Zoom Rooms, which connects to Q-SYS via a control plugin.

 

Mitto, a provider of customer engagement and omnichannel solutions, this week extended messaging support for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as more organizations seek to increase brand awareness through various modes of communication. Mitto’s expansion of business messaging broadens the capabilities of Conversations, Mitto’s unified dashboard that allows brands to use images, videos, and links, to engage with customers with one tool. Mitto already supports Google Business Messages, SMS, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, and webchat, Mitto said.

 

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