Amidst the buzz of the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9 created at today’s Surface launch event, Microsoft launched a few Microsoft Teams-centric accessories as well.
One of the newly released devices is a USB-C-powered hub called the Microsoft Audio Dock, featuring a built-in speaker for meetings and music.
Among the highlights of this hub are the built-in Omnisonic speakers (15W woofer, 5W tweeter, and side-firing radiators) that, according to Microsoft, deliver premium room-filling deep bass and sound. This setup is similar to the HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 which had a Bang & Olufsen conferencing module.
There is an integrated Teams button specifically for joining and participating in Teams meetings (such as raising or lowering your hand). Two forward-facing, noise-canceling mics complement the conferencing functions, as well as a mute/un-mute control button with a status light.
The Audio Dock has four connection ports at the rear of the unit, including two USB-C 3.1, one USB-A, and an HDMI input, not to mention a power pass-through to keep your PC or devices charged. Up to two monitors can be connected through the multi-stream transport (MST) enabled USB-C and HDMI.
Microsoft has also released its Presenter+ presenter tool. It is designed to work with popular meeting apps, but ultimately is the first such tool certified for use with Microsoft Teams. Like the Audio Dock, there is a dedicated Teams button that helps you join meetings, or with a long press, allows you to raise or lower your hand. This Bluetooth-connected device has controls for advancing slides, mute/unmute, and a screen pointer, among other things.
These accessories and the new Surface products will be available soon at Microsoft and Best Buy.
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