Volume 15 Issue #03 06-February-14 News & Views on Unified Communications & Collaboration Google Chromebox Alan D. Greenberg,
[email protected] and the WR Analyst Team It’s getting crowded in the sub-$1,000 video Working with Asus, conferencing space. HP, and Dell for Just today Google has hardware, Vidyo and announced Chromebox for überconference for Meetings, priced at $999, software interop, and which includes an annual CDW and Synnex for services fee of $250 for distribution, the company the first year. The solution tested with the likes of effectively extends Google Costco, Eventbrite, Yelp, Hangouts video into small, and others with a big 6-8 person “huddle” meeting focus on two areas: ease rooms. The Chromebox of use and management. appliance is powered by an Asus is releasing its Intel Core i7 chip, sports version today, and HP both HDMI and Displayport and Dell are reportedly connectors, has 2x USB coming out soon 3.0 ports and 2x USB 2.0 with their respective ports, and connects to the Chromebox for Meetings. network via an Ethernet Google Chromebox Components port. The solution includes What WR thinks: This a 1080p-capable USB fixed lens camera with a Carl Zeiss announcement is big, big enough that we had a bunch lens, a wideband-capable mic & speaker “puck,” and an RF of analysts on the pre-release call and we confabbed remote with full QWERTY keypad in addition to mute, end afterwards — in Hangouts, of course. Not a bad video call, and volume buttons. experience. The services component, which can be renewed Google claims systems can be set up and configured in for $250 / year, includes regular software & security less than 10 minutes by non-IT types.