VC in the office, at home, and in your pocket
This week there’s a report that Microsoft has been granted a patent that uses the home network for data infrastructure and the TV as a display screen, as well as reducing latencies such that domestic video conferencing is viable. Add to this a report suggesting Logitech is due to bring out a television-top VC unit providing a stand-alone Skype solution, and you might conclude that there’s due to be an explosion of domestic video conferencing. Especially given Microsoft’s ownership of Skype.
But Google isn’t keen on letting either the recently loss-making Redmond giant (or the recently loss-making Swiss one) have things all their own way. It is launching Google+ Hangouts which enables up to ten people to talk in a video-conference at once. In addition, with Google+ Hangouts on Air you can also broadcast to a world-wide audience via YouTube.
According to a Google product manager: “You’ll be able to chat with all the same people you did before and, in fact, with Hangouts you’ll now be able to reach them not only when they are using Gmail but also if they are on Google+ in the browser or on their Android or iOS devices.”
Isn’t that just what you needed!
Keith Warburton