Google and Apple came together in April and developed tech that will help governments around the world to reduce the coronavirus spread. It is called the Covid-19 exposure notification or Covid-19 contact tracing tech. After months of hard work, the technology is now ready and is available on iOS and Android.
What is this tech all about?
This new tech is available as an Application Programming Interface (API) for Android and iOS Smartphones. The tech is smart enough to let the Smartphones log other devices they come in the vicinity of and enables “contact tracing” of the disease. It can’t function on its own and needs a supplementary app to work.
How does this contact tracing API work?
A public health app needs to use the API developed by Google and Apple for the technology to function. The app sends and receives data from nearby devices and keeps a record of people one may have come in contact with and their Covid-19 status. The app updates all the data on cloud. It regularly runs scans to check and notify people if they have unknowingly come in contact with any Covid-19 positive person. Health agencies are also notified so that the person can be tested and the spread of the disease can be curbed.
Why doesn’t it work in India?
Unfortunately, the Aarogya Setu App doesn’t use Apple-Google API. It needs a device’s location access and Bluetooth access to be able to function. The problem is that the Apple-Google API doesn’t give permission to public-health apps to access location data and that’s why it can’t be used by the Aarogya Setu app.
Apps built on Apple-Google API use only Bluetooth while the Aarogya Setu App needs location access too in order to collect information. If we compare the two, the Aarogya Setu collects more data in terms of location and numbers. It also stores data on the user’s phone, uploading it under certain circumstances. However, the Apple-Google API uses DP-3T (Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing) protocol. This assigns randomised and anonymous unique IDs. Since these IDs change often, the tech can pick up data of corona positive people without any disclosure of identity or location.
We would’ve been happy to explore the two together but due to limitations in tech compatibility, it seems like we won’t be able to use the new Google-Apple API in Arogya Setup for now.
With tech going in all directions at a pace we can’t even catch up with, newer marketing ideas are on the rise. There are so many social platforms and add to it the formats, duration, diversified audience, ‘storytelling’ and so much more. This can be so overwhelming for a marketing professional. Where’s the success? Which social media platform will spell it for me? Which strategy will work the best? This giant did this but the other one did the exact opposite and both went viral. Confused? Let us decode the M in Tech for you.
Let’s get to the main point first.
The Main Focus
It is not in the ‘what’ and ‘where’ you begin your campaign but in the ‘how’. We already know this but when it comes to current happenings in the marketing world, we completely forget this. Some might argue YouTube is outdated and IGTV is the new lasting trend, others will call YouTube the stepping stone to success. Let’s get rid of the herd mentality.
For instance, if the world is leaving Twitter behind and going all out on TikTok, should you too? If you’re a fitness brand that wants to showcase how cool the new treadmill meter is then yes but if you’re a pharmaceutical company who wants to talk about the importance of chlorine in swimming pools, then maybe not. You get the point, don’t you? While the whole world is saying a ‘no’ to Twitter and you’re a media company churning out fresh news stories by the hour, would you go with the world? If you do, I’m afraid you’d be losing out on thousands of people who are your REAL audience.
Follow Your Audience
Technology enables you to perform and deliver in so many directions, you’re literally spoilt for choice but what choice you make is not based on the abundance of technology that you have in your box but the one that will make you stand out of it. Follow the technology that your audience follows. Period. Market your products and services in a format that your audience consumes the most. If it is videos, create fantastic and visually appealing videos that add value and put them on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. Make use of IGTV’s vertical format. If it is static images, make them interactive and appealing and create a campaign for Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. If textual content does the best job for you, get on your Twitter now. Use Tumblr to build a community and lure them to your website.
The How
You see the opportunities there? There’s an unbelievable amount of things you can do on the social media side of tech but more than ‘where’ you do what you do, it’s about how you do it too. While we did talk about the ‘where’, it is time to talk about the ‘how’. Formats are very important to understand when it comes to digital marketing. An infographic might create a ‘wow’ factor on Pinterest and drive traffic to your website but it might not be an option for Twitter. Animated GIFS might be good for Instagram and Twitter but not the best for Pinterest or Tumblr. So much happening here? Confused again? Let’s simplify it for you.
When you’re building your digital marketing strategy, here’s how you go about it.
Define your audience
Define the social platforms best suited for your products/services (forget the herd mentality)
Define the formats best suited for the social platforms you choose.
That’s how simple it really is. What will create an impact will be your brand message and the way you communicate with your audience. Technology will keep throwing new apps and social platforms at you but you need to follow the above steps to keep simplifying things for you as a marketer. Keep filtering everything new in order to not get carried away. Use new tech platforms wisely and build your digital strategy without hiccups. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on new stuff and while you do that, don’t forget what your brand is all about!
You wouldn’t believe this but there were no data scientists and drone operators in 2006. That was just fifteen years ago. Think of all the possibilities that have been created in the job market just because technology has come this far. New products and services in the tech sector give rise to many new tech-made jobs. However, by 2030 we are expecting 16 percent occupations to become ‘automated’. Are you afraid that you’ll lose your job to artificial intelligence? Don’t worry as there will also be new job profiles that could come up! Let’s take a look at the job profiles that we might see a vacancy for on job portals in the future.
1. Virtual Fashion Designer
The revolution in the fashion industry is an ongoing process but imagine a time when it will transition to ‘virtual’. Sounds very interesting already, isn’t it? While Tech Fashion Tour is the grand show we have been hosting for years now, this is one intriguing profile we’d love to explore too!
So, what will a virtual Fashion Designer do?
The job will comprise of creating virtual couture using advanced software. This couture will be distributed digitally to fashion houses and tech giants. There will also be a huge market in tech houses as well where a virtual Fashion Designer could create trendy couture for devices and gadgets too. Cool, isn’t it? Humans are anyway passe by now so why not create some great virtual outfits for our smartphones. Sounds fancy? Would you want to give this one a try?
2. Augmented ‘Lifestyle’ Coach
Well, we live in a world of life coaches. It is such a relief to have someone help us through tough times in our businesses, relationships and our overall life as a human being. What more could a life coach do in the future? They could make this fancier and more appealing by adding a touch of ‘tech’ to their jobs. Well, by using augmented reality and being an expert at that, this augmented ‘lifestyle’ coach will be able to connect his/her clients to suitable brands, events and more. Moreover, the lifestyle coach will also ensure new AR experiences for his/her clients from time to time in order to enhance their lives further and set them apart from their peers. To qualify for this, the person must have an AR lifestyle coach certificate with a proven track record in enhancing the clients’ lives using AR.
3. Head of Empathy
Oh well. We have been listening to this word for more than a year now and it does make sense. We already need more empathy in our lives every day, especially at work and as technology progresses, we can expect the flip side of it all to create more aggravated situations. We will need someone or maybe a team to manage all the emotional outburst that happens. Since we will be working with robots too, this will become even more important. To work towards a common goal, robots and humans not only need to understand each other better but also need to be able to work together without any hiccups. That’s the responsibility of an empathy officer! If you’re a people’s person or a ‘robot’ person then you’re surely going to like this one.
While what we saw in point number 3 was about managing people and leading with empathy, this one is the other side of the coin. Imagine a workplace where 50% of the population is robots. How do you operate all of them and manage them to ensure that there’s no chaos and mismanagement of work? You most definitely will need a robot manager who will specialize in not only operating various types of robots but will also be skilled at managing them all when they’re working together. Now whether humans are better to manage or robots, only time will tell. Until then, we can only hope that this unique job profile crops up on our LinkedIn profiles one day and we can interact with the robot manager to figure out how the jobr really is. Would you want to be that person?
5. AI and AR astrologer
I don’t know about other countries but India, as we know, is obsessed with astrology. We all are always eager to know about the future and astrologers here have made a fortune for themselves whether they’ve helped anyone else to do the same or not, is something we will never know. In the future, you can expect astrologers to use AI and AR in order to sharpen their skills further. They can use AR to showcase the future vividly to the client so that he/she can ‘live’ the experience beforehand and decide on remedies, if need be. AI will be used by astrologers to make faster calculations in charts and match up with other charts in no time to draw comparisons. The astrologer can then say ‘with proof’ that his client is more successful than his competitor according to the comparison of charts. Hmmmm. Would you want to predict what’s in the stars with an AR equipped tool? Think about it!
With so many different options, it can be so hard to choose right now but if you’re in a job that’s in danger because of AI, you’d better start thinking. If you don’t, you might need an empathy manager or AI astrologer to console you soon!
The fact that technology has been evolving the world rapidly for the last ten years is no news. From growing social media platforms and new job profiles to tech in medicine and space, everything is backed and fronted by tech. With the current happenings, faster disruption can be expected. Let’s take a look at what all can tech enable for us in the next five years.
1.AI led manufacturing
Thanks to COVID-19, the growth in AI led operations will grow manifold. Most companies that are primarily into building products will soon focus on and make use of cloud-based technologies to transform and present product and process data from manufacturing lines. In the next five years, this abundant data and the algorithms analyzing and processing it will enable manufacturing lines to deliver better output and enhance product quality. This will lead to a reduction in waste by half. We can then enjoy products of a much higher quality, that are also produced much faster and are available at a lower monetary and environmental cost.
2. New Age Computing
The age of quantum computing will begin. Through simulation of complex chemical reactions, newer advancements in drug development can be expected. Quantum chemistry calculations will help in achieving materials of desired properties and design. Imagine having better catalysts for the automobile industry that can help in reduction of emissions. Quantum computers will be able to remove the ‘trial and error’ method that pharmaceutical companies apply right now, which is time consuming and costly. A shorter product development cycle and a heavy reduction in the costs for R&D can then be expected.
3. 5G for the global economy
What we notice now the most as we sit in our homes and work through video conferencing is that poor quality networks are a hindrance. As we know, 5G networks can easily resolve this issue. Moreover, 5G will also revolutionize telehealth, telesurgery and ER services. From smart factories to real-time monitoring, 5G private networks can make this possible.
Imagine having self-driving bots! 5G will not only help with speed but also cut mobility costs greatly.
4. Robots in retail
Robotics is not new and has already been a boon for many industriesHowever, there are so many sectors like grocery retail that haven’t been tapped yet. A new robotics application called ‘microfulfillment’ is going to change that. This uses robotics at a hyper local level which will bring about a massive change in this gigantic industry. Higher productivity will result in positive returns in the online grocery business. Microfulfillment centers are currently located and used in real estate at the store level. They are 5-10% more cost effective than a physical store. Imagine the possibilities! The next 5 years are going to only spell growth for retail if robotics is to be incorporated.
5.Virtual and Physical spaces
The importance of tech in communication has been so apparent in times of Covid-19. The lockdown forced us to get in touch with our colleagues, friends and family with the help of video conferencing because of which we were able to understand that virtual can very much be the new physical. The progress of communicating like this is only going to increase with AI technology. The very thin line between physical space and virtual space is now blurred and will remain so. From global events to world conferences, everything will have a digitized format to it. In such a scenario, data privacy will have to be given top priority. Data control and security will have to be worked on if this has to be made a norm and a reality in the next five years.
With so much advancement in tech in the near future, we can only hope for our lives to get simpler, better and more productive. How all of this will together impact our overall lifestyle is not clear. Everything has its pros and cons and we aren’t really thinking about the bad side yet. With all these, perks, should we?
This is one much needed step from the tech world towards fighting the spread of Covid-19 in India. Around 100 leading private hospitals, tech companies and health-tech startups have together planned to launch this free telemedicine consultation app named ‘Swasth.
Infosys co-founder, Kris Gopalakrishnan is spearheading this initiative along with Apollo Hospital’s Shobhana Kamineni,Manipal Group’s Ranjan Pai, iSPIRT’s Sharad Sharma, former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation executive Nachiket Mor and Subrata Mitra from Accel. All of them have come together to help the country reduce the spread of the contagious pandemic that has brought everyone’s life to an abrupt halt.
Other partners in the mission to launch the Swasth App include the startups Medlife and 1MG and Care.Fit along with e-commerce platforms like Udaan and Flipkart.
What is Swasth all about?
Free teleconsultation with a network of more than 2000 certified doctors.
Users will be able to look for availability of resources like beds, labs and home quarantine equipment and aid via the app.
When will Swasth be available for download?
24th June
Which languages is the app available in?
English, Hindi and Gujarati. However, it will soon be available in around 25 languages.
Is Swasth app free to use?
Although the app is free but a nominal fee may be charged for it’s services in order to cover additional operational costs.
The app has raised a funding of 10 Crore from ACT (entrepreneurs and investors in the startup community) and will go for further fund-raising opportunities by tapping into CSR funds of large organisations. More doctors can be expected being added to the app in the coming months. There is a network of doctors that will be offering their services free of cost.
As of now the main goal of Swasth is to provide telemedicine solutions for the masses. Later, the app plans to become a bigger network that can become part of our lifestyle.
Swasth currently being registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act which makes the app a not-for-profit organisation.
The functionality of the app helps in a proper exchange of data. The owner of the data being the patient and this data being accessed by only the hospital which the patient goes to. To be precise, it’s an open network with an addition of the ‘consent’ aspect. This can be utilized well way after the pandemic crisis is over as there’s no data breach while it also allows you to network freel and meet your telemedicine needs.
All in all, Swasth app does seem to be promising in not just what it has to offer right now but also in the long term. It allows the masses to seek the help and care they need and at the time they need without worrying about their data being leaked. We hope Swasth app truly helps our country stay Swasth because it’s time to open the gates to businesses, work and other leisure activities again; after all the show must go on!
Today is International Yoga Day. In today’s world, Yoga has become easily available to all by means of videos and apps. Technology has made it easier for everyone to practice yoga in the comfort of their homes. Yoga is known to relax the body and the mind. In today’s times when stress is at its peak, yoga can greatly help relieve tension and keep the fitness levels up. If you’re looking at making yoga a part of your lifestyle then here’s what these start-ups have on offer.
Wellnesys (YogiFi)
Image for representation purposes only
YogiFi is a smart yoga mat that connects all its users with a virtual instructor by using AI and a mobile app. It has pressure sensors that guide you and also provide real-time feedback on the posture, balance and flexibility after every session. Try this out in this International Yoga Day.
Muralidhar Somisetty, the founder and CEO of Wellnesys, suffered from a severe spinal injury and that is when he thought of creating YogiFi. Yoga helped him get better and also reversed the condition for him.
Retail price of YogiFi :
$199 (15,000 INR approx)
Although this seems to be on a higher side, the founder says it is in fact better than spending a monthly fee upwards of 2000 INR. Also, you enjoy so many benefits like strength and flexibility monitoring that you wouldn’t if you were to attend a Yoga class.
While it does sound promising, reviews from users will shed some light on how well it performs and if it is here to stay. We do feel this is a good solution, considering the fact that stress levels are high and on the rise. Moreover, since people will now become more used to staying indoors, this seems to be a perfect way to keep your mind and body fit.
Prayoga app was founded by Krishnaprasad Jagadish. He is also the co-founder of Parjanya Creative. The app makes use of machine learning and Apple’s ARKit body tracking tech to analyse the users’ poses. Prayoga is exclusively available on iOS and it gives real-time feedback to it’s users.
According to Jagdish, yoga isn’t only about performing the poses but also about performing them correctly. Yoga is only effective if the pose is correct and that’s what the aim of Prayogya is.
The main USP of Prayoga app is that all the asanas are available as high quality 3D models. This is important to learn the poses correctly. Jagadish consulted a lot of Yoga teachers before making the app.
Both of these startups have put in a lot of hard work in order to give the best experience to the apps’ users and we’re sure they will greatly help people adapt to a lifestyle that focuses on physical fitness and mental well-being. As for how people will adapt to the change in the way they practice yoga, time will tell us that. Until then we will try these out for sure.
Start-ups are gearing up for the post pandemic era. The innovative tech brimming to come to life will not only be helpful but will also become the norm. We all know that going forward, social distancing and personal hygiene are the new essentials. Plenty of start-ups are coming up with some practical solutions that will help businesses implement these essentials. It’s a great idea to focus on these absolute necessities right now because we don’t want another pandemic to render us handicapped.
DINGG, a Pune-based start-up has come up with a platform that manages queues and bookings and customers are already giving it a thumbs up.
DINGG’s customer acquisition has gone up manifold during the lockdown. The start-up helps its customers with bookings and appointments at hospitals, salons and even wine shops. Their wait-time prediction engine helps in reducing customer-waiting time and eases the management of the customer flow.
Akshay Poorey, one of the founders was concerned about the struggle of people and vendors to deal with the current crises. The platform was launched in order to address this problem as it would make it easier for people to book their appointments through the all, SMS or a missed call. They don’t need to waste their time waiting for their turn at the vendor. DINGG also offers customized solutions to clinics, spas, private hospitals and boutiques. The offerings include token system and queue management.
DINNG is currently offering solutions to people in eight cities and plans on expansion in the near future. It has also been shortlisted for the ‘Cawach’ programme that is launched by the Centre. The programme aims to support start-ups that are coming up with solutions to challenges during the COVID-19 crisis.
Another start-up, Park+ is focussing on smart parking solutions for malls. It is an app-based platform that functions on cloud-based automated parking systems for malls and other establishments. The solution aims at helping with parking discovery, booking, payment and tracking.
Staqu, a Gurgaon based start-up, uses artificial intelligence that can help corporates to suspect tracing and PPE monitoring. When it comes to keeping the air virus-free, Magneto CleanTech has the perfect solution. They’ve launched an air filter device that comes with filterless magnetic air purification technology and ultraviolet technologies. The start-up claims that the device had the ability to decontaminate indoor air by killing over 90 percent of the viruses.
All of these start-ups are doing their bit for everyone by giving solutions that will help not only during the pandemic but also long after. The centre’s Cawach programme is also an encouragement that will help more and more tech start-ups come forward to work towards achieving a virus-free environment. How well the products fare and how practical the solutions are is for time to tell. As of now, we are glad that there’s hope!
All of us have been constantly talking about the impact of COVID in various industries. In this post, let’s read about the evolution of marketing in tech during the COVID-19 era. All we have seen are adverse effects albeit a few industries like online education, e-commerce, mobile apps and social media platforms have seen a growth. When we talk about tech, we know that’s the future and the good thing is that we already are in the future! With artificial intelligence slowly taking centre stage, being under control of our businesses is becoming easier. With all of this, there’s one thing where we want to spend the money right now and at the same time we don’t want to. Marketing. We need recall more than ever but do we have the funds? If we have the funds and if marketing is the priority, do we have the right ways, channels, communication methods to do it?
Not only the world has changed in terms of the economy and health but also in mindset and behaviour. How do you present yourself in front of someone who has no intention to buy right now, especially if you don’t fall under the category of ‘essential goods’. While so many tech brands suffer from figuring out the right way to communicate at the moment, some others have taken this opportunity to gain a new set of audience and to build more credibility. Honestly, it’s the way you perceive the situation and build a strategy on it. Let’s take a look at some of the tech brands and what have they been doing in the last few months to stay in their people’s minds.
1. Amazon
For years Amazon has been responsible for changing a buyer’s mindset, thereby changing their behaviour when it comes to online shopping. While for regular things such as books, household items, etc it was always the ‘go to’ app, lately it’s focus on groceries has given fruitful results. Initially where customers were apprehensive of buying grains and pulses from an app that has never done so before, today they’re not only buying groceries but are also trusting the giant for long term usage for the same. Insane. Isn’t it? They’ve also been focussing on promoting sellers who provide health and fitness products or services. After all, our well-being is of utmost importance in such times. We’d say, Amazon has been quick to make this happen and the communication to the consumer has been effective.
Take a look at how Amazon has been doing this via their social media platforms:
As you can see the introduction of ‘Wow Wednesdays’ is a great idea. Promoting OZiva that deals in natural and herbal products and focusing on wellbeing via special IG TV episodes has helped Amazon Garner attention. While these sessions also help the brand OZiva, at times like these, Amazon is in a complete win-win situation. Topics like fitness and mental health are sure to keep the customers interested for a long time to come and choosing social media to run ‘episodes’ that revolve around the same will keep the audience coming back.
Right. Now, it is best to make the most use of social media for all kinds of marketing. The benefits as we know are:
You already have an audience.
Lesser spends give you more reach.
That’s where everyone is spending the most time right now.
Not only has Amazon picked the right channel but also the right products and messaging. The subject of wellness and fitness is something that is a universal favourite at the moment.
Here’s a few other essentials they’ve been focussing on and all the focus is on the things you can do at home right now.
We think this is a great way to communicate not only with your audience but also an opportunity to showcase all the essential products and services you offer to them during a phase like this. Directly shoving your products in the customer’s face right now is of no use. This is an ‘authentic’ way to show you care.
We know that the automobile industry has been negatively impacted but Audi’s communication to the audience is simple, concise and effective. While they can’t change the fact that the whole industry is going downhill, they’ve made sure that the message they give is positive and reassuring; focussing on the ‘journey’ ahead. They’re not losing hope and are holding on to their audience with comforting communication.
Take a look.
Their quick thinking drove them to create the MyAudi Connect App that lets you book services, know your trip history, get fuel updates and more!
The same Audi with a different messaging, offering an ‘app’ experience to all the customers. Very evolutionary and very quick.
3. Apple
Hasn’t Apple always done something unique that touches people’s lives and hearts? It has always had an ‘inclusive’ culture where it always has made efforts to be a part of its own community. With a human touch, Apple has never failed to impress it’s audience, despite all the controversies it has been a part of. With the lockdown during the pandemic, it’s no different. Here’s how they’ve been working on keeping everyone together and connected during ‘COVID times’.
#TheAtHomeSeries is the hashtag they’ve added to #ShotoniPhone when people are sharing their images. This, along with sharing the stories associated with those images is intriguing and uses ‘storytelling’ to captivate it’s audience.
Storytelling can never go wrong, especially in times like these where everyone is seeking a more authentic human connection. Marrying the art of storytelling that involves ‘at home’ activities with the impeccable quality images shot on iPhone is a brilliant idea. The images become a part of the story and build the much needed empathy and connection.
While all of these are just a few examples of how tech brands are perceiving the pandemic and using the opportunity to showcase a different kind of messaging, there are many who are trying their best to keep up with the times. However, survival will belong to those who ‘evolve’ with the times.
So many social networking startups! Isn’t the world already so full of social media platforms? Why another? And why the investment? While many thoughts might come to your mind after reading that headline, let us talk about Hapramp and why it is actually so unique and worth it.
Hapramp facts:
Founded by 5 young people in 2018 – Shubhendra Vikram, Pratyush Singh, Mofid Ansari, Ankit Kumar and Rajat Dangi
Based in Gurugram
Combines tech, creativity and data security
The Timeline
Just like most startups, the idea of Hapramp came to life in a hostel room! The founders made time for creating the tech startup by doing freelance jobs. It was a risk they were willing to take in order to build something valuable.
While most of you might not be aware of 1Ramp.io, it was one of their first startups based on Steem Blockchain. It has a similar concept – social media for creators where users could earn cryptocurrency basis the upvotes on their content. We think it’s a very cool concept! While 1Ramp.io had become very popular and was presented in two Blockchain events in Thailand and Poland,the challenges the team faced with the user experience was something they wanted to fix.
In 2019, they created GoSocial which was again, a platform for creators and also, Asteria Protocol which is the tech that takes care of data security, privacy and monetisation. Hapramp is an upgrade to that – a platform with better data security from the learnings of 1Ramp.io.
Starting out with GoSocial
Content creators are at the heart of every project that the founders work on. This is because content creators are the ones who build the highest value on the internet today. However, their efforts aren’t monetised fairly most of the time and this is what the focus of Hapramp is.
They were focussed on the problem their platforms solve and the benefit that the users get. GoSocial began with photographers and expanded to having artists and writers too.
A Step by Step Research Model:
Internet Age – how long a person has been using the internet.
Stages of a Creator’s Journey – discovery (beginners), learning, professional (experts)
Self-challenges – All that the creators do to make creative ritual
Importance of validation
Using this research and experimenting based on data and learnings, they started building an experience that helps budding creators to learn photography, art and writing in a social context directly from expert creators.
GoSocial has a unique way of building a relationship between the creator and the creation. Expert creators host creative challenges and the users take those challenges! Unique and interesting. GoSocial team’s focus is to work on tools that can help experts monetize their expertise and content.
With the pandemic and the lockdown, so many new ways of working, working out, socializing and dating have emerged! Even though the way we do things have changed, our primary goal remains the same; no matter what ‘The Show Must Go On’. There are some really good guys that thought of some really good apps way before this pandemic was even a thing. These apps weren’t as much in use back then as they’re now. Thanks to the techies who had a vision of a solution when doomsday arrives.
Here we go with 3 apps that you absolutely need for meetings and socializing to save yourself from the clutches of a gloomy lockdown!
1. Zoom
Now there’s a very important meeting which can’t be postponed and the pandemic can be postponed too but Zoom is that place where there’s absolutely no need to postpone! It can be used for a call between friends and partners as much as it can for business meetings! It’s literally time to zoom in because the world is getting smaller more than ever.
Why choose Zoom?
It’s absolutely free to use.
No complicated processes.
Can be used on your phone, tab or on your laptop. Supported by Windows and Mac, both.
The screen sharing feature lets you work while you talk! Also allows local recording.
Keep in mind that:
Calls on the basic plan can be no longer than 40 minutes.
2.Skype
Here’s all the hype around Skype!
Microsoft has always been ahead of the times and Skype has been around for so long that most of you were probably yet to hit teenage when it was rolled out. One of the very first to execute the concept of video calling and screen sharing, Skype is that forgotten hero that has risen from the ashes again!
Why choose Skype?
Its been around for so long because of which the UI is familiar.
Available for up to 10-way calling!
Easy to connect and good video quality.
Keep in mind that:
Most of the advanced features are only available if you’ve taken up a premium subscription.
3. Google Meet
Wait what? One word that was important just got dropped. The journey from Google Hangouts Meet to Google Meet has brought about some improvements but hangouts was a cool word. Don’t you think?
Alright, so if you use a lot of Google apps (Most of us do), then this is going to be a cakewalk. You create a meeting in Google Calendar, your family, friends, colleagues or whoever was sent the email for this meeting gets the link. They only need to click the link and Voila! They’re on the screen!
Why choose Google Meet?
Its so well integrated with all your other Google apps that you won’t need to leave the call if you want to share a file from the drive or open an email while on call.
You can start a call directly from Gmail!
There’s a live captioning feature!
Keep in mind that:
Your dream to see a seamless video experience with Google Meet without the glitches and ungraceful transitions in a bad network environment is still just that, a dream. So, if the video quality is a huge deal for you, you might not enjoy your meet on Meet. Just saying.
Now all of these are good with minor shortcomings, of course. Which one you choose will depend on what’s your agenda, who the call is with and what you’re willing to compromise on when it comes to features. We are still in awe of how far technology has come. Look how we have touched the Sky(pe) and ZOOMed into a world beyond the world to (Google) MEET our goals.
