Zoom Video's for Home Service to Expand to Popular Smart Displays
Zoom is set to expand its social media presence to some smart display devices after coronavirus cases continue to increase across the United States.
According to the company, Zoom for Home service will soon be available in the coming months on Amazon Echo Show devices, Google Nest smart displays, and Facebook Portal.
The said platforms were initially released for people to socialize through video chats and home entertainment without turning on the computer, phone, or television.
The video chat service saw an increase during the coronavirus pandemic caused quarantines, with 300 million daily meeting participants by April. It outpaced other video chat service giants such as Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
Zoom was originally released for professional video conferencing. It gained popularity for chats with family and friends as well.
Zoom's Expansion
The platform's decision to expand seems to be positioning itself as an at-home service to connect socially rather than a workplace tool.
However, many people continue to work from home, possibly permanently. It could be a convenient way to have conference calls from a smart display instead of your laptop.
Oded Gal, chief product officer at Zoom, said they are excited to bring the video chat service platform to the popular devices.
"It's more apparent than ever that people are looking for easy-to-use displays for their video communications needs, both professionally and personally," Gal said in a report.
Lilian Rincon, senior director of product management for Google Assistant, noted that one of the most popular ways people use Google Assistant-enabled smart displays is video chatting. Rincon said that adding Zoom directly into the displays will make it easier for people to use it.
Head of Zoom Rooms, Jeff Smith, said that users find it difficult to use laptops and phones during Zoom meetings. He added that the company wanted the experience to be more natural for the users.
"We want to meet users where they are," Smith said.
Zoom in Major Platforms
Zoom for Home service will only work with the Amazon Echo Show 8, but will not be suitable for other versions of the Echo.
Zoom Home can be used on Facebook Portal devices, but not on Portal TV. Amazon said Zoom would come to other editions of the Echo Show.
Zoom will also be available for Hub Max and other smart displays that use Google Assistant. Hub Max is a Google device with a built-in camera. Users can use these by downloading a new Zoom app designed for smart display units and sign in.
With this, they can see their calendar on the video screen, and start to join a meeting. Smith said Zoom would eventually add voice tools in the new development.
Bret Kinsella, who runs the Voicebot.ai blog, said having Zoom is a good development, but he would be surprised if it drove sales. Kinsella added that it would add utility to the people who already have it.
Zoom is set to be on Facebook Portal in September, while Amazon Echo Show and Google Assistant will have it by the end of the year.
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