Users can already use “.new” links to create documents in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites and Forms. Using Meet.new, users can immediately start a call.

According to 9 to 5 Google, the feature is identical to clicking “Start a meeting” on the meet.google.com homepage or from the Gmail sidebar. The link tanks users to the “Meeting ready” screen that includes a video and audio preview as well as a meeting URL can be copied and shared. Users can also select “Join now” or “Present.”

In the top right corner is the account with which the user is logged in.

Read Next: Google Meet Now Free for Everyone; New Business Features

Users can also append numbers to designate which account is being used. For example, users can create a “menubar bookmark of “meet.new/1” for work and “meet.new/2” for personal use, reports the Verge. That feature will be useful since Meet is now also available to consumers as well as enterprise G Suite customers.

Google’s .new shortcuts were launched in late 2018 in G Sutie tools.

This small but useful feature for Meet comes as videoconferencing becomes the preferred method of communication for much of the business world since so many workers are still working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In recent months, Google has kept pace by introducing noise cancellation, a deeper integration with Gmail and free offerings to every Google users.

Meet, like  Zoom, Microsoft Teams and others, has been surging in use since COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines began in earnest in March. In April, Google said it’s peak daily usage has grown 30 times and now has over 100 million daily meeting participants.

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Yamaha UC, based in Sudbury, Mass., announced the certification in a Thursday press release, saying the certification verifies that the sound bar is interoperable with Zoom and allows users to connect and control the device while benefiting from high quality audio and video.

The company is also releasing new firmware that allows all existing devices to upgrade to the new version to enhance audio and video quality along with Bluetooth connection, mute sync and an in-app optimization. The firmware compatible with Zoom Rooms will be provided for free staring this month.

According to Yamaha UC, the CS-700 Video Sound Collaboration System is designed for huddle rooms and comes in a wall-mounted unit and features an adaptive beamforming microphone array, four speaker elements and a wide-angle HD camera.

Read Next: Yamaha Unified Communications Deploys Conferencing Solutions at Barstool Sports’ NYC Headquarters

With this new certification, Zoom software automatically detects the CS-700, enabling mute sync and optimizing the audio in the Zoom cloud, Yamaha UC says.

An integrated network management system in the CS-700 allows IT staff to deploy and remotely manage each unit from one location.

“With Yamaha’s exceptional audio and video technology and expertise, the CS-700 will help us transform any huddle space or meeting room into a modern, easy-to-use, and powerful collaborative workspace to our customers’ Zoom Rooms experience,” said Eric Yu, hardware partnership manager at Zoom.

The certification comes as the world grapples with COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that is sickening thousands and leading to a drastic increase in remote work and employees working from home. As such, Zoom and other unified communication and collaboration platforms have reported a spike in usage over the last few months. 

The post Yamaha UC CS-700 Video Sound Bar Now Zoom Certified appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Sudbury, Mass-based Yamaha Unified Communications last week announced a partnership with the sports and lifestyle media conglomerate that includes the deployment of the AV conferencing solutions firm’s portfolio of solutions.

Barstool Sports was founded in Massachusetts, but the company moved to New York after they were acquired in 2016. The organization is well known for its sports and lifestyle-based podcasts, blogs and eccentric personalities.

Michael Fitch, vice president of global sales and marketing at Yamaha UC, called the partnership a perfect opportunity to introduce unified communications technology to Barstool’s audience of commercial AV users.

“By partnering with the company, we can reach those users and educate them on the benefits of UC technology that delivers intuitive and superior quality meetings,” Fitch said. “The deployment at Barstool’s headquarters is the perfect use case for them to learn more.”

According to Yamaha UC, the company provided Barstool with a customized conferencing package for every kind of meeting space in the office.

For the Barstool sales team, Yamaha UC provided its YVC-200 portable USB and Bluetooth personal speakerphones to bring portable and professional conference phone systems that can be paired with a laptop or mobile device via USB or Bluetooth.

Read Next: Prepare for the Coronavirus By Investing In Unified Communications, Conferencing Technology

Barstool was also equipped with Yamaha UC’s Revolabs FLX UC 1000/15000 USB and VoIP conference phones in 10 private call rooms and four conference rooms.

Two CS-700 Video Sound Collaboration Bars were also installed to provide a combination of audio and video conferencing technology integrated into one system.

Barstool is also testing the company’s latest unified communications systems, like the SIP CS-700 Video Sound Bar and the ESB-1080 Enterprise Sound Bar and Collaboration Kit. This provides integration between telephone and web conferencing calls and the same level of quality across all communication channels.

Yamaha’s collaboration kit also includes an AI-powered wide-angle USB camera from conference camera manufacturer Huddy.

According to Pete Overmyer, head of media technology and production at Barstool, the company needs these solutions for both the office and for its people out in the field.

“It’s vital that we are able to quickly and easily communicate with them, whether that’s in meetings at headquarters or on a sales call taken on the road,” Overmyer said. “Yamaha UC’s commitment to quality and its support reflects the same values of the Barstool brand.”

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The new tool allows users to standardize how requests are collected, report outages in real time and get new team members up to speed, the company said in a blog post last week.

The product is designed for businesses that require constant collaboration and coordination between teams, employees and superiors.

“Coordinating projects with others requires getting the right information to the right people in real time,” Slack said. “Yet steps like making requests, asking for updates and providing context to teammates hare hardly instantaneous ­­­– and often half progress altogether.”

Onboarding

The new program makes for a better onboarding process and can lend a hand to overworked managers and human resource departments by automating onboarding messages important project documents.

When employees join a channel, they can automatically be sent resources they need to catch up without having to waste valuable time asking questions. That same employee can fill out a personal bio that allows current team members to learn about their new coworker.

Information gathering

Like most offices, you’ll either ask a question or have to answer a question from a coworker. With Workflow Builder, employees can let a manager know when supplies are running low or if they plan to visit a satellite office. The tool can automate those requests and make sure they reach the right people within the program.

The company’s blog offered the example of a #travel-requests channel where staff could request help with upcoming business trips. Employees would open the channel, launch the form from the menue and fill out basics like when and where the trip is. Those results could be sent into any regular channel, a direct message or shared channel.

From there, an agent would book flights and a hotel and mark the request when it’s complete.

Real-time incident reporting

If the copier is doing that thing again or if the website is down, Workflow Builder offers custom forms with standardized inputs for time-sensitive tasks

Custom forms with standardized inputs are especially valuable for time-sensitive tasks, such as letting anyone in the company launch an incident report whenever they notice a service is down.

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Instantly posted in several channels where staff can work on the problem, discuss possible fixes and relate that information to the rest of the company.

Growth and competition

The company’s new product comes after the company released data on its usage. The company saw more than 12 million people actively using Slack every day last month, a 37% year-over-year increase.

Earlier this year, Microsoft said its Teams app had more than 13 million daily users. Workflow Builder appears to be the company’s response to Microsoft Flows, the tech giant’s workflow solution that was released in 2016.

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