Google heads to the boardroom with Chromebox for Meetings (pictures)
Chrome is Google's not-so-secret weapon, and after taking aim at your living room with Chromecast, the new Chromebox for Meetings wants to change the boardroom.
Seth Rosenblatt
Senior writer Seth Rosenblatt covered Google and security for CNET News, with occasional forays into tech and pop culture. Formerly a CNET Reviews senior editor for software, he has written about nearly every category of software and app available.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- After taking aim at your living room with Chromecast, Google's new Chromebox for Meetings wants to change the boardroom.
Caesar Sengupta, Google's Chromebook chief, explained how Chromebox for Meetings can be a low-cost way for small businesses to get into video conferencing at Google's headquarters on February 6, 2014.
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'Redo the meeting room'
The new Chromebox for Meetings will cost $999 per set for the first year, and $250 per set per year thereafter, said Sengupta.
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Based in Google services
Sengupta touted the ease with which people can join meetings in the new Chromebox for Meetings during the unveiling at Google's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters on February 6, 2014.
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New hardware
The Chromebox for Meetings will come with a high-powered version of the Chromebox, a remote control with keyboard, a high-definition Webcam, and a microphone/speaker.
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Core i7-powered Chromebox
Google stuck Core i7 CPUs into these Chromeboxes in the hopes of ensure better video stream processing.
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Two-sided remotes
Chromecast for Meetings remotes come with standard controls on one side, and a full keyboard on the other.
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Ports for all
The centerpiece of the Chromebox for Meetings set comes with four USB 3.0 ports, several video ports, an Ethernet port, and multiple band support for Wi-Fi.
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Available now in the US
The Chromeboxes are made by Asus, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard.
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Radio-frequency based
In addition to the full QWERTY on the reverse, the remote control sports a "nano-sized" USB adapter. It's radio-frequency based, so line-of-sight isn't necessary.
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Speaker-microphone combo
The speaker-microphone combo appears to be fairly standard, although it does have noise-canceling built in to improve sound quality.
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High-def Webcam
The HD Webcam sports Carl Zeiss lenses, automatic low-light correction, and it automatically will change resolution depending on your bandwidth.
