Device features a multi-touch display allowing users to harness Microsoft Teams and Office 365
Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft has launched the new Surface Hub 2 which is built on Windows 10. The device is an interactive conferencing and white-boarding display which can be wall mounted or used on a rolling cart.
“It’s not just that how we work is changing, it’s that where we work is changing too,” said Panos Panay, chief product officer at Microsoft, in a recent blog post. “The environment around us is shifting – towards open offices, huddle rooms, and team work spaces – in fact, in three years, half the global workforce will be mobile. It’s an exciting time to be in the devices business, because the creation of new form factors and software experiences will not only lead us to work in new ways, but also in new spaces designed for collaboration.”
The new Surface Hub 2 features a 4K+ 50.5” multi-touch display which allows the user to harness the power of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Whiteboard, Office 365, Windows 10 and the intelligent cloud. The 4K cameras rotate with the device, integrated speakers and far field mic arrays allow everyone in the meeting to feel as if they are in the room with the rest of the group.
The device scales and adapts to the space through tiling up to four screens together in portrait or landscape view. Dynamic rotation allows users to use the best orientation for their content to help people work in the way that best suits them. Microsoft teamed up with workplace expert Steelcase to create a system of rolling stands and easy-to-use mounts to help Surface Hub 2 users be mobile.
“Tiling is one of my favourite features on Surface Hub 2, seeing four of the beautiful Surface Hub 2s lined up together has undeniable visual effect and will have a profound impact on what groups can accomplish together, allowing users to display multiple pieces of content side-by-side,” added Panay.
The Surface Hub 2 also features a multi-user sign in meaning that multiple people can authenticate in the same workspace, allowing them to simultaneously access their documents and ideas.
In 2018 Microsoft will begin to test Surface Hub 2 with select commercial customers and it will be available for purchase in 2019.