Zoom is expanding its platform support to include smart displays from Amazon, Facebook and Google. The video-conferencing app is set to become available on Amazon's Echo Show, Google's Nest Hub Max, and Facebook's Portal in the coming months. The announcement comes weeks after Zoom unveiled its own massive touch display.
With the pandemic forcing people to rely on video-calls for communication, Zoom is hoping to equip homes with the necessary means to do just that. However, companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook already released their respective smart displays, inevitably giving them a head start over the budding presence of Zoom's standalone device. Zoom is now aiming to bridge that gap by allowing homes that already have smart displays to utilize its popular platform. Given the increasing number of people willing to pay for its services, it makes sense that Zoom is ensuring it is accessible on as many devices as possible.
Zoom announced that users will soon gain access to the ubiquitous video-conferencing app on their Amazon, Google and Facebook smart displays, along with some added functionality. Amazon Echo Show smart displays will be getting Zoom later this year, but the company specified that the eight-inch Echo Show model will be first in line. Those with a Google Nest Hub will have to wait a little longer for the support to go live, currently slated for the end of the year. On the other hand, owners of a Portal, Portal Mini, or Portal+ will be able to jump on Zoom as early as September, with Portal TV support to follow.
Advantages To Using Zoom On A Smart Display
Aside from getting better free security in video-calls, Zoom users will also be getting some product-specific perks. Amazon Echo Show owners will be able set up Zoom voice-calls easily and completely hands-free, using nothing but Alexa voice commands. In addition, syncing one's calendar via the Alexa app will provide Zoom with the ability to automatically start meetings. The same also applies to Google-specific voice commands, which can be integrated with Google Calendar and Assistant, via the various Google Nest Hub displays.
Using Zoom on Portal makes starting video-calls more convenient, with its one-touch join meeting functionality. Portal owners also gain access to tools like digital whiteboarding, which can be useful in presentations or whenever teaching. Of course, the Alexa-enabled Portal can also utilize the same Zoom voice commands as the Echo Show, albeit with the added benefit of its self-adjusting smart camera. Given the proliferation of smart displays, let's just hope Zoom tightens up security even more so that another hacking incident doesn't happen once the support finally starts rolling out.
Source: Zoom