Owl Labs, a startup backed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, has launched a new camera called the Meeting Owl. This 360-degree camera is designed specifically for companies and groups, enabling them to hold video conferences without the burden of manually operating the cameras. The Owl does the hard work itself, automatically focusing the video feed on the person who is talking. Oh, and guess what it looks like? Yep, an adorable, productivity-increasing owl.
The device features a 360-degree camera on the top of its cylindrical body, as well as a total of 8 omnidirectional beam-forming microphones for capturing audio from all directions. The combination of the two enables Owl to capture everyone around a table at the same time, presenting viewers with a full view of the conference room. The camera shifts focus onto whomever is speaking, and presents split-views if multiple people are engaging in a conversation. The microphones isolate important noise from unwanted ambient sounds.
Owl Labs has designed its conferencing camera to work with major video conferencing platforms, including Slack, Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and GoToMeeting; the camera is plug-and-play via a USB cable. According to the company`s website, `limited quantities` of the Meeting Owl are available at this time, with shipping starting within the next four weeks. The camera is priced at $799.
Via: The Verge
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