Google Hangouts, Bluejeans and more: a guide to the new video services available in the UAE

The UAE's telecommunications regulatory authority (TRA) has today released a list of five new apps that can now be used for video calling and digital learning. These are Google Hangouts Meet, Cisco Webex, Avaya Spaces, BlueJeans and Slack. These apps and services join Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom and Blackboard as unblocked services. The TRA says it will "review and update the list of available applications from time to time", according to WAM. They all function more or less the same, but here are details of each one. Remember, with all of them, you need to let them access your phone or computer's camera and microphone, so do say yes when prompted if you want the call to work. Price: Free, but there are also options from Dh24.50 per month How it works: This is essentially WhatsApp for business. You can chat to anyone in your company, start different threads, direct message people, etc. You can also hold Zoom calls within Slack, and share files such as Google Docs within threads. It's a super handy alternative to 'chatting' when you're all working remotely, too. Price: from $6 (Dh22) per month How it works: There are plenty of different options as part of Google: Google Duo is its answer to FaceTime, Google Hangouts is the consumer chat and video service available to people with a Gmail address (that is also currently working in the UAE), and Google Hangouts Meet, the one that has recently been unblocked, is a video conferencing app aimed at businesses. With Google Hangouts Meet, you need to be a paid G Suite member to set up a call, but then anyone with a Gmail account can join the call. If you have the $6 basic package, you can set up a call for up to 100 people. You join a call by either following a link sent by the organiser, or by entering the meeting code on the Hangouts Meet landing page, which is meet.google.com. As with almost all of these services, you can mute yourself when not talking, and choose to turn off your camera. You can also click 'present now' to share your entire computer screen, or a particular window with everyone in your conference group. Price: from $9.99 (Dh37) per month How it works: You can host both meetings and events on BlueJeans. The meetings can be held within your internet browser, so you don't need to download anything, and the sound quality is of note, as they use Dolby technology. Like with most services, you do not need a BlueJeans account to join a meeting, but you will need one to start one. During a meeting, you can comment on a point and assign tasks to people, via a suite of features they call 'smart meetings': BlueJeans Events, meanwhile, can have up to 50,000 attendees, videos, polling and moderator controls. Price: Free options, or basic plans start from $13.50 (Dh50), and include MP4 recordings of meetings, as well as transcriptions of meetings. How it works: This has all the features of the major tools, including screen sharing, links to meetings, scheduling and messaging. There's also a tool called Webex Teams, from which projects can be managed. You can also call someone directly from the Webex Teams panel without setting up a meeting. Here's a guide to joining a Webex meeting: Price: Currently free for education and non-profits; businesses need to enquire How it works: While this service offers video conferencing, it's designed as a place to completely manage projects, within 'spaces'. The spaces are partly designed to cut back on the need for emails pinging back and forth within an organisation. Here's a video guide: Price: basic is free, but there are paid-for options, which start at $15 (Dh55) per month and include longer meeting durations and the option to record meetings. How it works: You can use Zoom on most devices, including phone, tablets, desktops and laptops. You simply create a profile, which is completely free for the basic package. If you join through your company email address, you will be able to automatically connect to colleagues through the company directory. However, you can also add contacts to your address book using phone numbers and email addresses. For meetings, you can either start one manually, and invite relevant attendees from your contact book, or you can set up channels, which are effectively a set group. When starting a meeting with a channel, all listed participants will automatically be contacted to dial into the conversation. On phones and tablets, you'll find channels when you click the contacts tab on the bottom menu, then click channels at the top. Up to 100 people can be in meetings, and they can last up to 40 minutes in the free basic package. There is no limit on one-to-one conversations. You can also meet with people who aren’t in your contacts by sharing your meeting key ID to join.

Google Hangouts, Bluejeans and more: a guide to the new video services available in the UAE

These video chat services offer a way to learn online, conduct conferences and keep in touch with loved ones overseas during the coronavirus crisis