Lenovo Group announced today the Lenovo ThinkSmart Core Gen 2, one of the first AI-optimized compute device purpose built to run video conferencing room systems. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor with an integrated NPU, the ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 is ready for AI-heavy meeting room workloads to deliver unparalleled performance for intuitive collaboration and enhanced productivity, all in a protected and user-friendly solution.

Smarter AI for All Means Smarter Collaboration
Under Lenovo's vision of Smarter AI for All, the company is dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals to put AI to work for them. While the role of collaboration technology has never been more critical, many customers are continuing to redefine meeting spaces and how work is done. The integration of AI into collaboration tools presents a transformative opportunity to connect people and improve productivity. Lenovo, the global leader in PCs, is bringing more compute power to collaboration.

EMEET, a leader in innovative audio and video communication solutions, proudly announces the launch of two groundbreaking products: the EMEET SmartCam S800 and NOVA 4K. These new additions to the EMEET lineup cater to different user groups from budget-conscious consumers to high-end professionals.

SmartCam S800: Professional-Grade Excellence

Ultimate 4K Visual Experience
EMEET SmartCam S800, supporting 4K@30 FPS and 1080p@60 FPS, delivers ultra-clear, smooth video for various streaming scenarios. Perfect for gaming streams with fast-paced action, cooking tutorials where every detail matters, beauty tutorials requiring precise color accuracy, and professional conferences. Featuring a Sony sensor with a 1/2" capturing size, F/1.8 aperture, and f=4.71 mm focal length, the SmartCam S800 excels in low-light environments. HDR, enabled via EMEETLINK, retains bright and dark details, offering perfect images.

Today, Logitech unveiled MX Brio/MX Brio 705 for Business, a revolutionary high-end webcam for end users and enterprises, designed to meet the demanding needs of advanced users. MX Brio is Logitech's most advanced webcam yet and joins the Master Series ecosystem alongside MX keyboards and mice to deliver outstanding performance and streaming experiences, while fostering quality collaboration. The Ultra HD 4K webcam helps creative professionals and developers elevate their virtual presence and efficiently share results and ideas.

"We know that MX users collaborate and communicate from many different environments, and need a versatile webcam offering the best video and sound quality," said Anatoliy Polyanker, General Manager of the MX Business at Logitech. "MX Brio is our highest quality webcam, featuring customization and the ability to show themselves or their work in the best possible way."

Logitech has announced that all video collaboration devices that run on the CollabOS operating system will now be manufactured with next-life plastics, helping enterprise customers support their sustainability objectives. Existing products- Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini, Tap IP, Tap Scheduler, and Scribe- are being refreshed with materials that lower the carbon impact of each product. This provides organizations with a partner that in turn helps position them to better manage their carbon footprint. "By transitioning our portfolio of conference room devices to a lower product carbon footprint, we are helping other companies navigate their sustainability challenges," said Prakash Arunkundrum, Chief Operating Officer at Logitech. "We're not only designing and manufacturing new products with recycled plastic and other lower carbon materials, but refreshing existing products to provide IT leaders with a new way to evaluate their workplace technology investment in conference room systems—one that includes people and planet. We do this without increasing prices or compromising the highest quality and performance companies expect from Logitech."

"By transitioning our portfolio of conference room devices to a lower product carbon footprint, we are helping other companies navigate their sustainability challenges," said Prakash Arunkundrum, Chief Operating Officer at Logitech. "We're not only designing and manufacturing new products with recycled plastic and other lower carbon materials, but refreshing existing products to provide IT leaders with a new way to evaluate their workplace technology investment in conference room systems - one that includes people and planet. We do this without increasing prices or compromising the highest quality and performance companies expect from Logitech." Efforts to reduce negative environmental impact have rapidly become a business imperative. In a recent survey of IT professionals by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, 65% say that becoming a leader in environmental, social, governance and sustainability practices is a critical or very important business objective in the coming year.

Cyber Acoustics, a leading manufacturer of reliable and affordable computer peripherals used in schools, businesses, call centers, and homes, today announced the CA Essential Webcam Flex is now shipping and available on CyberAcoustics.com and Amazon.com.

The CA Essential Webcam Flex is the ideal tool to give powerful presentations, conduct authentic live interviews, lead captivating webinars and livestreams, or present engaging demonstrations, via a simple, unobtrusive webcam that's perfect for people spanning industries, professions, interests, and hobbies, as its unique design offers a more collaborative experience for any use.

Building on the AI PC use cases shared at Innovation 2023, Intel today launched the AI PC Acceleration Program, a global innovation initiative designed to accelerate the pace of AI development across the PC industry.

The program aims to connect independent hardware vendors (IHVs) and independent software vendors (ISVs) with Intel resources that include AI toolchains, co-engineering, hardware, design resources, technical expertise and co-marketing opportunities. These resources will help the ecosystem take full advantage of Intel Core Ultra processor technologies and corresponding hardware to maximize AI and machine learning (ML) application performance, accelerate new use cases and connect the wider PC industry to the solutions emerging in the AI PC ecosystem. More information is available on the AI PC Acceleration Program website.

Today, Google announced its next generation of Chromebook devices, called the Chromebook Plus, said to improve upon the legacy set by Chromebooks over a decade ago. Starting at an enticing price point of $399, this new breed of Chromebooks integrates powerful AI capabilities and a range of built-in Google apps. Notably, it features tools like the Google Photos Magic Eraser and web-based Adobe Photoshop, positioning itself as a dynamic tool for productivity and creative exploration. In collaboration with hardware manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, HP, and Lenovo, Google is launching a lineup of eight Chromebook Plus devices on the launch date, with more possibly coming in the future.

Each model boasts improved hardware configurations over the regular Chromebook, including processors like the Intel Core i3 12th Gen or the AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series, a minimum of 8 GB RAM, and 128 GB storage. Users are also in for a visual treat with a 1080p IPS display, ensuring crisp visuals for entertainment and work. And for the modern remote workforce, video conferencing gets a substantial upgrade. Every Chromebook Plus comes equipped with a 1080p camera and utilizes AI enhancements to elevate video call clarity, with compatibility spanning various platforms, including Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Set to be available from October 8, 2023, in the US and October 9 in Canada and Europe, the Chromebook Plus is positioning itself as the go-to device for many users. On the other hand, the AI features are slated for arrival in 2024, when companies ensure their software is compatible.Below you can see the upcoming models.

Sony has announced that Zoom Video Communications, Inc. will be coming to Sony's BRAVIA TVs that are compatible with BRAVIA CAM. This partnership will allow users to easily connect with friends, family, and colleagues for video calls and meetings from the comfort of their living room. Sony's BRAVIA is the first TV brand to support the Zoom for TV app on Google Play Store.

With Zoom on BRAVIA TVs, users will be able to take advantage of all the features that make Zoom one of the leading video communication platform. This includes video communication on a TV screen, screen sharing, and collaboration tools. Users will also be able to use BRAVIA CAM's advanced features - it recognizes where you are in the room and how far you are from the TV, then adjusts sound and picture settings so they're just right. All of that is possible with a very simple setup - when using a compatible TV with a BRAVIA CAM, it only takes downloading the Zoom app from Google Play and launching it with the TV's remote.

Today, Logitech International introduced a desk booking service that delivers a better hotdesking experience for employees and a greater ability to manage shared desks across multiple locations. The service runs on Logi Dock Flex, a fully-featured managed docking station built for shared desks in flexible work environments. The move to a hybrid work model has given companies the opportunity to reassess and optimize their office space. But the hybrid evolution has also introduced the challenges of motivating employees back to the office, and the need for data and insights to understand space configuration and continued investment.

"Businesses know they have to earn the commute to get hybrid work employees into the office. The answer is not to add more foosball tables, but to instead offer a way for employees to plan their in-office days together," said Scott Wharton, general manager of Logitech B2B. "We took a multidimensional approach to building Logi Dock Flex that not only solves desk booking and management issues, but promotes social collaboration and gives IT and workplace managers data on how the tech and space are being used."

As remote work and learning continue to transform daily lives, the demand for high-quality webcams has never been greater. Recognizing the need for versatile and high-resolution video capabilities among creative professionals, BenQ is proud to introduce the BenQ ideaCam, a specialized multi-mode desktop webcam designed specifically for creators and makers.

The BenQ ideaCam revolutionizes the creative possibilities with its four shooting modes: Portrait, Desk View, Handheld, and Macro. While the Portrait mode provides a familiar webcam experience, Desk View enables effortless display of objects or documents on the desktop. The intelligent auto-flip feature seamlessly transitions between Portrait and Desk View modes, automatically rotating and focusing the image. Handheld mode offers unique camera angles and immersive close-ups, while the magnetic Macro lens provides detailed magnification of 15 times.

At the start of 2023, EMEET previewed its first-ever self-created streaming camera, the EMEET StreamCam One, at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. Now EMEET, as a global leader in professional audio and video conferencing solutions, is proud to announce the launch of EMEET StreamCam One. This self-created streaming camera has been designed for both personal and enterprise users. This product offers high-quality video and audio, multiple features, and easy-to-use operation.

The StreamCam One is the latest wireless network camera they have launched, which represents an innovation in the field. With this product, users can take advantage of its multi-camera support, high-quality audio, support for multiple platforms, user-friendly operation, and quality assurance.

Jabra, world's leading professional audio brand, expands its best-selling line of professional headsets, the Jabra Evolve series, with new Evolve2 mid-range headsets. The revolutionary Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex, the Jabra Evolve2 55 and Jabra Evolve2 50 are engineered for ultra-flexible hybrid working.

Jabra's 2022 research found that 80% of all meetings globally are either fully virtual or hybrid, and hybrid natives like Gen Zs consider their "office" to be their laptop or wherever they have a strong internet connection, including "third spaces" such as co-working spaces, cafés, or libraries. The new Evolve2 headsets empower users with the most useful and professional features to protect their focus zone and enable them to take calls and meetings no matter their environment. Additionally, they boast optimized sound for professional use and music, so there is no need to switch headsets when it is time for a break.

Lenovo announced today at Information Systems Europe (ISE 2023) in Barcelona the all new ThinkSmart View Plus running Microsoft Teams display, a standalone collaboration display with premium audio, video, and whiteboarding features. The smart collaboration solution is purpose built for hot desking, phone booths, executive desks and home office use cases. Also joining the portfolio of smart collaboration solutions are the newly announced Lenovo IP Controller for collaboration spaces and the newly available ThinkSmart One.

ThinkSmart View Plus
As the way people work continues to evolve, it is vital to stay connected and engaged, regardless of how and where they work. The innovative ThinkSmart View Plus running Microsoft Teams display is a solution that enables hybrid work by increasing productivity, flexibility, and collaboration through its personal and hotdesking experiences.

Today, Logitech announced Logitech Sight, an AI-powered tabletop camera that works with the front-of-room camera Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini to intelligently capture the best perspective of meeting participants and track conversations as they move around the conference room. In today's hybrid work landscape in which 43% of remote employees report not feeling included, Logitech Sight helps solve the disparity between hybrid teams by giving remote workers an "at the table" experience when meeting with in-office colleagues.

"We're no longer all at home in equal-sized video boxes like we were during the height of the pandemic. In a hybrid work world, a mix of in-office and remote workers increases the challenge of delivering equitable experiences to everyone," said Scott Wharton, general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration. "Logitech Sight, when used with Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini, uses AI to tackle this problem with a model that is less Silicon Valley and more Hollywood—the art of using multiple camera angles and intelligent direction to bring remote participants off the sidelines and into the room. Our customers have told us that this is one of the biggest hybrid work problems to solve to make 'return to the office' work better for teams. We believe, based on years of research and early customer feedback, that we've cracked the code on this must-win critical problem for organizations of all sizes."

Today, Logitech unveiled two new product series, Brio 500 webcams and Zone Vibe headphones, designed to meet the evolving needs of hybrid workers.A recent study showed more than 89% of work-from-home adults struggle with unflattering camera angles, poor lighting conditions, and field-of-view limitations when using a built-in laptop camera.* Brio 500 webcams and Zone Vibe headphones address the challenges users face when working from home, while modernizing work and play experiences. Both make it easier for IT managers to equip their organizations' remote and hybrid workforces in an environmentally sustainable way.

"Many remote and hybrid workers are still underequipped and grappling with pre-pandemic era solutions," said Scott Wharton, general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration. "Our innovative new genre of Brio webcams and Zone Vibe headphones answer the call of modern workers who need business-grade quality, style, and affordability for work and play. Transformational features like Brio's Show Mode open up new sharing opportunities for teachers, designers, and architects to easily present physical objects, notes, and sketches remotely over video."

NZXT, a leader in PC gaming hardware and services, today announces its first step into streaming with two external capture cards-the Signal 4K30 and HD60, as well as a coinciding chat cable. The NZXT Signal capture cards help creators to get into streaming without a large investment. Simply plug it into a USB gen 3.2 port and any HDMI device such as a game console, camera, or computer, and you are ready to stream with any video-capturing software such as OBS. Both the Signal 4K40 and HD60 capture cards have all the features you need in order to have great streaming and capturing experience, and full NZXT CAM validation of each capture card's settings.

Lenovo announced today at Infocomm 2022 in Las Vegas the all new ThinkSmart One Smart Collaboration bar. Designed for small to medium meeting rooms or dedicated home office spaces, ThinkSmart One all-in-one (AIO) bar is the world's first running Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and powered by an embedded 11th Gen Intel Core processor with vPro technology. Supporting familiar video conferencing applications such as Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms, and featuring eight microphone arrays with echo and noise cancellation, 15-Watt stereo speakers and an integrated high-resolution camera with wide field of view, ThinkSmart One offers an exceptional audio-visual experience.

Furthermore, ThinkSmart One can be easily installed, managed and customized centrally through ThinkSmart Manager and offers enhanced security levels available with Intel vPro security and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise operating system. The AIO bar also includes the 10.1-inch touch screen ThinkSmart Controller, the same as provided with our Core room kits, for simple and easy control of meetings.

Today, Logitech is creating more equitable experiences for hybrid workers with RightSight 2 software that now simultaneously presents both a close-up view of the individual speaker and a view of the entire meeting room during video calls. With RightSight 2 auto-framing technology, far-end participants can follow the active speaker while also getting situational context from the group, such as one person gesturing to another or writing on a whiteboard.

As the workforce adapts to a long-term hybrid environment, Logitech continues to advance its software intelligence to deliver the immersive, inclusive experiences that remote participants would have if they were physically in the room. RightSight 2 is Logitech's latest innovation in an ongoing goal to make meetings more equitable now and in the future.

As business professionals continue to navigate new work environments - in an office, at home, or a mix of both - having proper technology and display tools are essential for maintaining team productivity and collaboration. Dedicated to delivering top-quality projection that is also versatile for a range of professional environments, today Epson introduced the new Epson 880X 3LCD 1080p smart portable projector. Compact and equipped with a convenient carrying case, the 880X meets a variety of on-the-go business display needs. Additionally, with Android TV and built-in Chromecast, users can easily switch it into a streaming machine for epic entertainment virtually anywhere.

"As the dynamics of work environments continue to shift, it's important that business professionals have the proper tools to set them up for success in any space," said Kenny Tang, product manager, projectors, Epson America, Inc. "The demand for bigger displays has continued throughout the pandemic for both business and home entertainment. The 880X smart projector is ideal for video conferencing and presentations with the added versatility to transform spaces into entertainment hubs."

Today, Logitech is helping professionals stay clear, confident and connected in the next phase of hybrid work with the launch of its Zone True Wireless and Zone Wired Earbuds, the first earbuds targeted to be certified by all three major cloud video conferencing platforms—Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

As many workplaces make a lasting transition to hybrid work environments, being connected has never been more important for employees joining video meetings and collaborating from different locations. Logitech Zone True Wireless earbuds upgrade video calls with the shape and fit users love, combined with the powerful audio that professionals need. Equipped with a premium noise-canceling mic and Active Noise Cancellation, Zone True Wireless gives crystal clear audio on every call, regardless of distracting surroundings. This, along with a minimalist, modern design, enables a stylish look and a high-quality sound on video that helps users stay in the zone.

NVIDIA today released the latest version of GeForce Game Ready drivers. The drivers add optimization for "The Medium," including support for RTX raytracing and DLSS. The drivers also introduce support for the Mobile GeForce RTX 30-series "Ampere" graphics. Among the issues fixed with this release include game crashes and broken HUD with "X4: Foundations" on RTX 30-series GPUs; game crashes for games based on the RE2 game engine in DirectX 11 mode; "Error 707" application crash with DaVinci Resolve; an application freeze with MPE GPU acceleration in Adobe Premiere Pro; a problem with color distortion in Zoom meetings with NVENC enabled; random crashes with "Detroit: Become Human;" and stuttering/lagging with game launches in Steam VR. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 461.40 WHQL

NVIDIA Wednesday released a Hotfix update to its GeForce software. Version 461.33 Hotfix addresses a few glaring bugs with the software that need to be immediately put out than waiting for the next WHQL update to take shape. For starters, the update fixes an Adobe Premiere Pro crash observed when using Mercury Playback Engine with CUDA GPU acceleration.

An application hang with NVIDIA Broadcast camera filters seen after GeForce 461.09 drivers has been fixed. Certain stuttering and lagging issues observed with Steam VR have been fixed. Random crashes with "Detroit: Become Human" have been fixed. Incorrect colors on Zoom video calls when using NVENC have been fixed. "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" crashing after extended gameplay has been fixed. "X4: Foundations" game crashes on GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs, and a broken HUD in Vulkan API mode, has been fixed. Grab the drivers from the links below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce Hotfix 461.33 Standard | NVIDIA GeForce Hotfix 461.33 DCH

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) announced today that it was chosen to become TikTok's secure cloud technology provider. This technical decision by TikTok was heavily influenced by Zoom's recent success in moving a large portion of its video conferencing capacity to the Oracle Public Cloud.

"TikTok picked Oracle's new Generation 2 Cloud infrastructure because it's much faster, more reliable, and more secure than the first generation technology currently offered by all the other major cloud providers," said Oracle Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison. "In the 2020 Industry CloudPath survey that IDC recently released where it surveyed 935 Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) customers on their satisfaction with the top IaaS vendors including Oracle, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM and Google Cloud.... Oracle IaaS received the highest satisfaction score."

With the recent surge in remote work, more people than ever are building out their work from home setups in order to remain productive while sheltering in place. We're happy to be able to now bring you the newly available Zone Wired headset, a wired version of the existing Zone Wireless headset that is also certified for Google Meet and Google Voice, in addition to Microsoft Teams certification.

"Remote work can be challenging, especially right now since people are setting up makeshift offices in shared spaces with loved ones," says Martin Ruddle, Director of Personal Solutions, Logitech Video Collaboration division. "With the Zone Wired headset's noise-cancellation features and dual-mic technology, you'll be able to take calls comfortably, without distraction, no matter who else is in your office, kitchen or living room."

With the whole COVID-19 pandemic happening the Work From Home (WFH) situation is going well under its way. And some of the online meeting software publishers are making a good bank on it like Zoom has been doing for the fast few months. Now, it looks like Google wants to compete Zoom and launch a new service called Google Meet, which is predicted to be a killer app for online meetings. "We re-engineered the service we built for secure business meetings, Google Meet, to make it free and available for all. In order to give people the security and reliability they count on from Google, we will be rolling out access over the coming weeks.", says Google's website.

The Google Meet application will be capable of hosting a meeting with up to 100 participants. Client software will be available for iOS and Android users and for the desktop you are going to access it using the Meet website interface. Meeting session duration is so far unlimited, however, starting from September 30th you will be able to use a session only for 60 minutes, after which it expires. This service has the potential to eat some of the Zoom's market share as it is free features overlook the ones of Zoom by meeting duration. We shall see how things progress in the coming weeks as Google rolls out the service.