Kandao launched its Meeting Ultra, a 360-conferencing device with two attached tiltable touchscreens to enable users to have conference meetings anywhere, anytime, any way they like. The Kandao Meeting Ultra won the CES 2023 Best of Innovation award for its innovative design of an all-inclusive conference device.
The new iteration in Kandao’s hybrid meeting conference series builds on its previous Meeting Pro. Just like previous models, Meeting Ultra features two lenses for panoramic video capture, omnidirectional mics that pick up audio up to 18 feet, HiFi speakers and a built-in Android operating system, so the device can plug into any monitor and functions as a stand-alone video conferencing terminal. Smart-tracking AI algorithm allows the device to merge audio and video inputs to focus on active speakers in any meeting.
Most important in this iteration is the increase in video quality to 4K 30FPS and two tiltable touchscreen displays to enable users to view remote participants and log in to conferencing platforms directly from the device. With the addition of two displays, users no longer need to turn their heads toward external monitors, thus showing remote participants the side of their faces, a common challenge of 360-conference devices. Users can look directly at the camera and displays, so their faces will always be in the frame for remote participants.
The outer body of the Kandao Meeting Ultra includes two HDMI OUT ports to support up to two external display screens and an HDMI IN port to share the screen from a computer directly onto the two attached displays. There is also an Ethernet port for wired connectivity, three USB A ports to connect the keyboard and mouse, an USB C port for peripherals (additional camera, microphone, or speakers), and an SD card slot for recording meetings.
Additional connectivity options include a 5G hotspot, a Wi-Fi network, or LAN to allow users to have conference meetings anywhere. Kandao devices are compatible with all major video conferencing platforms, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack, and Cisco Webex.
The device is designed to be flexible to the business user’s needs. It can be situated permanently in the middle of the room to quickly set up for conference calls, or it can be carried from one office to a client site. This is perfect for panoramic broadcasting from conference rooms, single-person presentations, huddle room discussions, board meetings, and on-the-ground meetings for emergency response teams.
Kandao believes the Meeting Ultra offers unrivaled portability and flexibility for business users. As the world transitions to hybrid meetings, conference rooms must be upgraded, and employees must be equipped with new tools that enable the immersive experience of in-person meetings, even from the most remote locations.