We’ve put together an initial, brief guide to some of the key ingredients that will help you create your own everything office:
Conferencing audio
Poly Sync 20 smart speakerphone
It would not normally be a selling point that a device is Certified for Microsoft Teams and Zoom, but in the era of business being driven by videoconferencing, it offers a definite edge. Smart speakerphones, in particular, need to be compatible with both hardware and software to ensure flawless sound in meetings. The Poly Sync 20 from Plantronics is slim and portable, so it is ideal for taking an office anywhere, and promises 20-hour battery life, addressing both load-shedding and power-challenged locations. It connects wirelessly through Bluetooth, or wired via USB, to smartphones and computers. It picks up sound from up to 2 metres away, meaning one can be heard clearly while walking around the typical home office, hotel room or small meeting area. In other words, no headphones needed if one feels the need to move around while talking. This is thanks to a multi-microphone array, which also eliminates both echo and background noise. Once the meeting is over, it switches seamlessly to music streaming.
Anker Ultra Clear portable conference speakerphone
Anker goes a step further with a similar device, taking advantage of a 6,700mAh battery to charge other devices at high speed via the manufacturer’s PowerConf technology – or to power calls for up to 24 hours. Its key selling points are omni-directional voice pickup: via 6 microphones arranged in a 360° array, to pick up voices anywhere in rooms for up to 8 people. Echo cancellation, “de-reverberation”, and background noise reduction, along with automatic voice balance to make up for differences in volume and distance from the speakerphone, make for crystal-clear conferencing.
Anker has tested the device for meeting rooms, “huddle space” and home offices – but it can work outdoors, too, when a meeting needs both social distance and fresh air.
Lighting
Ring-lights
The most cost-effective investment I ever made for virtual meetings and talks is a ring-light, originally marketed for selfies and TikTok-style videos, but now an essential ingredient of the everything office. On the One Deal A Day site, I was able to snatch one for R125, while a second unit cost R250 on Takealot.com – still a great buy. It has four brightness settings, three hue settings – white, warm and blue – and includes a phone holder inside the ring.
One can take this utility a step further, and add a microphone stand. One Day Only offers the Glow, a “10 -inch selfie light with microphone stand”, for R499. In the broader scheme of virtual office costs, these are the bargains of the year.
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