Google disrupts the videoconferencing market with $1000 Chromebox for Meetings

Google announced today that ASUS is releasing a new “Chromebox for meetings” that comes bundled with a camera, microphone, and speaker as an all-in-one meeting room solution for using Google+ Hangouts and accessing Google Apps:

Chromebox for meetings comes with a blazing-fast Intel Core i7-based Chromebox, a high-definition camera, a combined microphone and speaker unit and a remote control. Set up your entire room in minutes and easily manage all meeting rooms from a web-based management console. All you need is the display in your room, and you’re good to go.

Walk into the room, click the remote once and you’re instantly in the meeting. No more complex dial-in codes, passcodes or leader PINs. Share your laptop screen wirelessly, no need for any cords and adaptors. Integration with Google Apps makes it easy to invite others and add rooms to video meetings, directly from Google Calendar.

Google says the new Chromebox for meetings will allow businesses to outfit 10 or more rooms “for the same price that companies have typically paid for one meeting room.”

The new Chromebox for meetings from ASUS (pictured above) is available in the U.S. starting today for $999 and other Chromebox for meetings products from HP and Dell will be released in the months to come. It’s also planning to launch the products in other countries later this year including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the U.K. Some of Google’s partners are also releasing new tools to make it easy for existing meeting room solutions to access Google+ Hangouts.

In addition to the Chromebox for meetings announcement, Google noted that Vidyo, the company that powers much of the technology behind Google+, has released a new tool today that lets existing teleconferencing systems join Google+ Hangouts:

Vidyo, Inc. today announced the first product resulting from its on-going relationship with Google, a software-based solution that enables H.323/SIP video conferencing and IP PBX systems to connect users into Google+ Hangout Sessions. The new product will extend usability by allowing connectivity with existing business voice and video solutions from Cisco, Polycom, Lifesize, Avaya and Vidyo. VidyoH2O™ for Google+ Hangouts will be offered on a subscription basis both on-prem and as a cloud-hosted product.

Uberconfernce also announced a tool that lets its users call into audio Google+ Hangout calls from phones.