Zoom announced that they are rolling out support for Portal from Facebook, Amazon Echo Show, and Google Nest Hub Max. This will make interactive video meetings as easy as the touch of a button or the sound of your voice. Zoom also points out that this feature can be used to connect by video to family and friends.
I can see where this could be useful for people who have disabilities that make it difficult for them to use their hands. Being able to attend a Zoom meeting by using voice controls would make the experience more accessible. It could also be good for people who need help setting up Zoom on their computer or laptop, and who may find it difficult to log in when they need to.
There are many reasons not to trust Zoom. They have a history of security failures, including a problem that allowed Zoom to enable a user’s camera without the users permission. At the time, uninstalling Zoom did not fix the problem. In June of this year, Zoom decided to limit end-to-end encrypting only to paid users – which they later opened up to free accounts after backlash.
The reality is that there are many people who are working from home and who are required to use Zoom for work meetings. One advantage of using Zoom on a smart display is the option to take Zoom off your computer or laptop. A Zoom Meetings user could log into one of the smart devices that are supported by Zoom, and integrate their calendar, status, and meeting settings.
Zoom will be rolling out to Portal from Facebook in select regions in September. It will roll out to Amazon Echo Show devices in the United States later this year, beginning with Echo Show 8. Zoom will roll out to Nest Hub max later this year.