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In this Pandemic era, everyone is finding more convenient and practical options to manage work and study from home. Be it the availability of resources, privacy, or technology to connect. Conference calls, video group chats, online presentations, and smooth internet connections have become essential. While the students have to attend their classes, assignments, and examinations. Whereas the workforce has to manage meetings, training, and regular brainstorming. All of these require a smooth way of delivering and receiving audio. However, not all phones have that great audio system. Google announced its Designed for Google Meet program and its first product the Rayz Rally Pro. It serves as a microphone for Google Meet calls and looks like a Nest Mini-like phone speaker. The more interesting thing is that it is for $200 only.

The Rayz Rally Pro by Designed for Google Meet

The Rayz Rally Pro looks quite similar to Google’s smart speaker just with a carveout of a phone dock. Its body is covered with gray fabric. There are two versions of the speaker dock; one is the iPhone model with a lightning connector, and the other is the Google Pixel model with USB-C support. The Google Pixel model will work for any android phone with a USB-C slot. Both of these versions work as an omnidirectional microphone, Bluetooth speaker, and a 20W pass-through fast-charger for any phone.

The catch in the Rally Pro and all other third-party devices part of the Google Meet Program is their close integration with Google Meet specifically. As per Appcessori, the manufacturer of Rally Pro, “joining a Google Meet video call is as simple as plugging in a smartphone and then tapping the Google Meet invite that is automatically launched at the plugin.” Features such as active noise suppression, a mute button, and automatic gain control are also present in the device.

However, it is yet to test if the features will be as compatible with other video chat software mainly Zoom or Webex. Similarly, whether they would work with a non-Google platform like iOS and Huawei as efficiently or not.

The note on Google Meet products says: The Series One line features Google’s design language, but is made by Avocor and Lenovo. “Designed for Google Meet” is a separate program for third-party manufacturers. According to Google, “The program identifies peripherals designed by partners specifically for and to work with Google Meet”. Conclusively, some companies get the benefit of working right beside Google while others get a bit of exposure only.

Most people think that the phone camera and microphone are not efficient enough for video chats. The laptop works better in terms of these but that is also a restricted option. Mainly because the phone’s front camera is much better than the webcam built in a laptop. Maybe it is about time for such inventions and more importantly, investments.

The Rayz Rally Pro is available for pre-order for $199.99. The shipment date is the 17th of September.