Logitech has unveiled a follow-up to 2017's MeetUp camera with the creatively named MeetUp 2, alongside a room booking solution.

The MeetUp camera's single unblinking eye has become a fixture in many meeting rooms, but despite sales of more than a million units, it is getting long in the tooth. It has also yet to be pumped full of AI.

Which is where MeetUp 2 comes in. It is a lozenge-shaped device (more like the company's Rally Bar Huddle than the original MeetUp), except with added AI smarts. These take the form of RightSight 2, which, according to Logitech, creates "equitable experiences for remote participants by using intelligence to automatically focus and frame in-room participants."

In practice, this means that the image is crisp and participants are properly framed, which is useful when looking at a room with participants sat around a desk. The unit has a 4K camera, a diagonal field of view of 120°, and a six DMIC microphone array. It can be deployed in USB mode with an in-room computer or connected to an attendee's laptop, and there is a hardware privacy shutter.

AI has also found its way into the camera's RightSound 2, where the tech balances voices and filters out unwanted noise.

The device works with modern video conferencing platforms, such as Google Meet, Zoom, and Teams, so setting up and using it should be straightforward.

That's assuming a customer's IT budget will stretch that far. Prior to the launch of the MeetUp 2, Logitech sold the MeetUp for £750 - although it can be found for less than £500 if one shops around - but expects £849 ($899/€999) for its successor. Those AI smarts do not come cheap.

Alongside the launch of the MeetUp 2, Logitech has also added room booking features to its Logitech Sync Software. The update follows Logi Dock Flex, which was aimed at helping employees pick a spot near their coworkers in flexible desking environments.

The tool is likely to only appeal to users already in Logitech's software ecosystem. We asked the company if it expected customers who had already signed up for Microsoft 365 to make the jump. The answer was not really.

A spokesperson told us: "For customers that are using Microsoft solutions for room booking, we encourage that they continue to use these solutions. For customers who are using Sync to manage Logitech devices and are looking for a third-party room booking solution, we are expanding the options that customers have by providing Logitech room booking."

The MeetUp 2 camera is designed for small meeting rooms and is a worthy successor to the original MeetUp, particularly considering the drive for hybrid working. The hardware is more capable than the previous generation, although slapping the AI label on it just because it is better at spotting participants may be stretching it too far.

The original MeetUp camera debuted in 2017. Its successor, also aimed at small meeting rooms, has some impressive features, and Logitech claims it is simple to set up. However, plenty of competing options are available, and something like the more expensive Meeting Owl 3, with its 360° views, might be a better bet for huddles around a table. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/05/22/logitech_meetup_2/