Google Hangouts Meet Speakermic Getting A Linux Driver To Address Mute Button Quirk

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Google Hangouts Meet Speakermic Getting A Linux Driver To Address Mute Button Quirk

The Google Hangouts Meet Speakermic is a device manufactured by ASUS that allows for 360 degree sound input/output designed for Google Hangout usage and allows daisy-chaining up to five of these speakermics together for use in large conference rooms. A Linux driver is on the way for the device just to address a mute button issue...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Hangouts-Meet-Speakermic-HID

[skeevy420]

Wow. WTF is up with electronics pricing lately? I get that it's a premium product, I just don't see $300-$400 in value here. It's literally a cellphone without a display, a more sensitive microphone with auto-volume normalization, and a better speakerphone speaker. All the rest of their features are audio capture and conferencing standards -- echo and background noise canceling. All of those features are part of PulseAudio and PipeWire.

And since it has a 20' range and connects up to 5 that begs a few questions: Is it really that great at 20' out? Does the max range of all 5 equal a 100'x20' sized area or does there need to be a little bit of overlap giving it more like a 15' radius per device and a 75'x15' maximum conference area?

I have to imagine that anyone who has a conference room with a 12'x90' table already has a damn good conferencing solution which then begs the question of who is this product actually for?

So that question makes me wonder which of these scenarios seems more likely -- Everyone pulls out their nearly $400 Conference Doohickey or everyone pulls out their phone and syncs into Conference Mode. Think about it -- the premium feature for this device is connecting 5 together for a quick, makeshift conference room solution using the same hardware we carry around in out pockets. All Google has to do is require better microphones as an Android hardware requirement and suddenly this becomes a built-in phone feature. This seems like it's spending $300-$400 to beta test Android's upcoming Conference Mode.

If this would have been under $200 I wouldn't have even commented. Between $300 and $400....I find it hard to keep my brain from saying WTF is going on here?

[NateHubbard]

And since it has a 20' range and connects up to 5 that begs a few questions: Is it really that great at 20' out?

I always assume a usable range of half of whatever they state.

If this would have been under $200 I wouldn't have even commented. Between $300 and $400....I find it hard to keep my brain from saying WTF is going on here?

Probably intended only for businesses where someone is deciding to spend money on things they only sort of understand.

[degrees57]

On the one hand, I agree with you that these are really expensive. On the other hand, during the pandemic a bunch of people I hang out with were forced into hybrid meetings, both online and in-person. Experience has shown me that without good wide-area speaker coverage, the online people get a very low quality experience. Since we are a volunteer organization and don't have gobs of money, we won't be buying these. But there is a need for high quality room blanketing recording equipment at a reasonable price.

It is nice that ASUS is fixing the Linux driver to make these devices work right. But I am surprised that it costs so much to synchronize microphones in the first place.

[stormcrow]

My guess, it's running into the problems nearly all low^ demand items will have: not enough people are going to buy it to lower the cost to a reasonable* cost. Corporations that own Surface walls aren't going to bat an eyebrow at this price for a conference room (not that I believe they'd buy this either).

Some no-name PRC company will steal the designs of this and flood the market in a few months is my guess. Some US companies have gotten wise to this kind of product theft and have started tricking those types of companies into making their hardware for them instead of being undercut.

^Low demand is not enough demand to create a proper economy of scale to lower the production & sale costs.
*Reasonable being different depending on who you ask and how deep their pockets are.

[Spacefish]

Probably intended only for businesses where someone is deciding to spend money on things they only sort of understand.

Especially compared against the Cisco Stuff this is really cheap! The cisco conferencing solutions start at way higher prices.

[Paradigm Shifter]

I'll be honest, that picture conjures up in my head $20 from the bargain bin, not $400 for quality. It just looks like plastic tat.

[Sonadow]

360 degree sound input/output

In other words, an overpriced ommidirectional dynamic microphone with attached speaker unit, generic versions of which can be found on Taobao and any semi-decent Chinese e-commerce portal for $20 - $50

[M1kkko]

That horrendous product name is something you would come up with as an example for why trademark laws exist

[0xE1]

Wow. WTF is up with electronics pricing lately? I get that it's a premium product, I just don't see $300-$400 in value here. It's literally a cellphone without a display, a more sensitive microphone with auto-volume normalization, and a better speakerphone speaker. All the rest of their features are audio capture and conferencing standards -- echo and background noise canceling. All of those features are part of PulseAudio and PipeWire.

And since it has a 20' range and connects up to 5 that begs a few questions: Is it really that great at 20' out? Does the max range of all 5 equal a 100'x20' sized area or does there need to be a little bit of overlap giving it more like a 15' radius per device and a 75'x15' maximum conference area?

I have to imagine that anyone who has a conference room with a 12'x90' table already has a damn good conferencing solution which then begs the question of who is this product actually for?

So that question makes me wonder which of these scenarios seems more likely -- Everyone pulls out their nearly $400 Conference Doohickey or everyone pulls out their phone and syncs into Conference Mode. Think about it -- the premium feature for this device is connecting 5 together for a quick, makeshift conference room solution using the same hardware we carry around in out pockets. All Google has to do is require better microphones as an Android hardware requirement and suddenly this becomes a built-in phone feature. This seems like it's spending $300-$400 to beta test Android's upcoming Conference Mode.

If this would have been under $200 I wouldn't have even commented. Between $300 and $400....I find it hard to keep my brain from saying WTF is going on here?

You seem to be completely unaware of Google Video Conferencing solution, which this device is part of, other part is Chromebox for Meeting, Control touch screen, and 1-2 regular monitors, that is a complete setup, Google themselves have thousands of these, and many Google Workspace customers as well