Zoom is expanding its Zoom for Home initiative to include a series of widely used smart displays to make video conferencing even more accessible for remote workers. Users will soon be able to join meetings from the Amazon Echo Show, the Facebook portal, and the Google Nest Hub Max with the push of a button or by using their voice. While there are plenty of ways to update your work from home setup, it's even better if you can do it with a device you already own. Zoom product manager Oded Gal provided more information on the company's decision to integrate its video conferencing service on smart displays in a press release: “We are thrilled to bring Zoom to these popular devices. It's more apparent than ever that people are looking for easy-to-use displays for their business and personal video communication needs. "
Zoom on smart screens
By adding Zoom to smart displays, users will be able to more easily connect with colleagues, family and friends, helping them improve their productivity and relationships while working remotely. Starting in September, Zoom will be available on Facebook's Portal Mini, Portal, and Portal+, with support for the company's Portal TV coming soon. Portal's Smart Camera technology automatically keeps users in the frame, simplifying camera controls for more immersive video calls. Zoom will be available on Amazon Echo Show devices later this year, and users will be able to join video conferences simply by saying "Alexa, join my Zoom meeting." If a user has linked their calendar in the Alexa app, Alexa will be able to automatically start scheduled meetings hands-free without requiring users to know their meeting ID or password. Later this year, Zoom will also be coming to Google Assistant-enabled smart displays, including the Google Nest Hub Max. The service will be fully integrated with Google Calendar and Google Assistant, allowing users to join meetings using hands-free controls with commands like "Hey Google, join my next meeting." When smart displays hit the market, they provided users with a visual way to control their smart home, but now, thanks to Zoom's expansion of its Zoom for Home initiative, users will soon be able to use them to host or join video conferences.