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remoteHQ is a powerful companion to your Zoom meetings

Access all your favorite apps with the shared browser

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As most employees work from home, they begin using more digital tools than before to get things done. One of the popular tools out there is Zoom. After all, it enables not only virtual meetings but also instant communication between employees. However, it is also lacking in one important aspect: real-time collaboration. There’s an up-and-coming product that aims to revolutionize remote collaboration — remoteHQ.

Revolutionizing real-time collaboration

The need for remote collaboration during these times can’t be emphasized enough. Using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet is not enough since they technically only cater to the conferencing needs of many companies. As such, many platforms have existed to enable remote collaboration. Most companies now use one of these platforms so employees can work together even when they’re apart.

However, the kind of collaboration on these platforms can be limiting. Sure, employees can work together at any time of the day and at any pace they want. But this kind of flexibility can sometimes hurt employees’ productivity. With this setup, they can move on to other tasks and forget about the document. Worse, the lack of real-time feedback from colleagues means delayed results for the company.

Sometimes, employees also need to give on-the-spot feedback and changes for important documents. This kind of collaboration can be achieved with a streamlined Zoom + Google Suite workflow, or a Microsoft Teams + Office 365. However, it still results in wasted time for employees. After all, they need to go back and forth to find the documents they’re working on and to tune-in to the meeting they’re in.

Sometimes, companies just need a platform that enables on-the-spot collaboration. This is the basic premise of remoteHQ. All of the tools employees need to work together live within the platform itself. It’s also a powerful platform that will spur a more productive workforce.

Shared browser and apps included

Using remoteHQ is simple. Users create a “room” wherein they meet with others and use apps geared for collaboration. The apps that live within each room make it a stand out among other platforms.

The number one “killer” feature of remoteHQ is the shared browser that lives as an app in every room.  Users can open a shared browser, and grant other users control. This enables instant collaboration more powerful than traditional workflows since every website is accessible right away.

For example, managers can open Google Docs on the shared browser, grant controls to employees, and let them collaborate on the spot — all in a single browser tab and session. In a way, this is browser screen sharing but leveled up. All employees share the same screen but they can also control the browser on their own. Since this is also a shared browser, users can continue using their favorite work apps while collaborating with others.

Presenting online? remoteHQ supercharges online presentation by letting employees view documents and make feedback in real time. Employees can upload any file they want and present it on the spot — just like how they used to do it in the past.  In this sense, remoteHQ doesn’t only revolutionize online collaboration, but it also elevates virtual meetings and brings them closer to intimate physical meetings.

Employees can also talk with each other as they collaborate. Typical chat controls are available to each one within a room. They can proceed in a session with their camera on or go audio-only. And should they ever need to call out the attention of their colleagues, the “raise a hand” feature is there to help them out.

Every room comes with useful apps to boost the user’s productivity. Some of the core apps include Google Drive, notes, YouTube, Miro, Witeboard, and an audio recording and transcription for easier collaboration. Recently, support for sharing Figma design prototypes has been added too.

Unlimited rooms and workspaces

Users can manage rooms easily. They can control who gets access to each. Moreover, they can also share a public link of the room, which is perfect for sharing an interactive demo of a product to guests. After each session, they can view a timeline of others that took place in the past. They can also view the “artifacts” — that is, shared files, notes, and minute-by-minute activity.

remoteHQ offers unlimited rooms. Plus, it’s easy to keep track of private and team rooms. All rooms reside within a single workspace. Managers can create a separate workspace — think of it as departments on big companies. They are easily managed through remoteHQ’s simple and interactive interface.

Though, there’s one caveat to all this. Each room can only hold up to 15 people in a single session. Companies that strictly need a conferencing platform for their employees should fare better with Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. After all, remoteHQ is more geared towards the workforce that really needs a streamlined companion for the new normal.

A powerful companion in the new normal

remoteHQ is not only for businesses looking for a more powerful collaborative platform. Teachers and students can also harness the platform’s unique features for a more personalized learning session. Each room can function as a digital classroom, utilizing the available apps to make the most of distance learning.

More features are coming to the remoteHQ as it evolves and matures into a platform serving the needs of individuals who need a more flexible and powerful way of collaborating online.  After all, the platform is relatively new. There are still rough edges and mobile app support is non-existent. However, the company promises mobile apps in the future for those on the go.

There’s no free tier but remoteHQ offers a free trial. It starts at US$ 15. For that, users get all the features of the platform and 5GB of storage. Those eager to try out the platform may do so by signing up on this website.

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Netflix suddenly resurrects 30-day free trials

It’s available only in some countries.

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Over the weekend, a report emerged about Disney+ allegedly considering a new tier offered to users for absolutely free. Apparently, Disney isn’t the only one. Netflix is now resurrecting its free trial program in select countries.

Back in the day, it was easy to get into Netflix. With a 30-day free trial, you can watch the shows you’ve always wanted to catch. If you liked what you saw, you can pay the monthly fee to access the entire library without constraints. Eventually, the platform got rid of this system to favor a cheaper ad-supported tier.

Perhaps not seeing the benefits of ad-supported tiers, Netflix has suddenly resurrected its free trial program. Spotted online (via Android Authority), some countries, including Brazil and India, are experimenting with the program again. New users can get 30 days of free Netflix access.

Because only regular users are spotting this (rather than an official announcement), we don’t have a list of where the free trials are available.

Still, it’s an interesting move. Cable isn’t a thing anymore so “cutting the cable” isn’t a popular phrase anymore, but people are definitely cancelling subscriptions over rising prices. Some even rely on short clips from YouTube to catch up with their shows. Having a free trial opens up more possibilities for users, but it remains to be seen whether it’s enough for users to return to Netflix.

SEE ALSO: Netflix expands its cheaper ad-supported tier to Southeast Asia

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Disney+ might get a free tier

What would you like to see in a free Disney+ tier?

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In a world disappointingly obsessed with increasing prices beyond our means, Disney+ has miraculously remembered the phrase, “free sample.” According to a report, the streaming platform is considering making a free subscription tier.

As of late, it’s been difficult to maintain a healthy collection of streaming services. When you have to pay the equivalent of a full-course meal every month for just a single platform, you start to evaluate which ones really matter.

Perhaps feeling the sting of users leaving the platform over pricing, Disney+ is reportedly experimenting with a tier that comes at no cost to users (via Business Insider). According to two sources, adding such a tier might help the platform reach customers more.

Now, it’s still a mystery how this tier might work. Disney+ already offers an ad-supported tier, so it’s unlikely to be another one like that.

One possibility is a heavily curated feed of content either designed specifically for free users or limited exactly to give users a free sample. For the latter, think of the limited content you get on a plane. Sure, you might get the first three episodes of The Mandalorian, but you’ll have to fork over cash if you want to see the rest of the story.

And for the former, you can imagine short-form content available for free. Going back to Star Wars, you might see a short anthology series like Star Wars: Visions.

Either way, it’s an interesting concept. If the tier does offer full content, it’s a great way to get into franchises you were thinking of trying without the need to spend for a taste.

SEE ALSO: X-Men ’97 returns to Disney+ for second season

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WhatsApp will introduce usernames to hide your phone number

Hide your number from others.

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WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.

Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.

Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.

To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.

As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.

The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.

SEE ALSO: Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp

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