Boom News: Herbert Hoover, Lady Bird Johnson and the video call

DECEMBER 1, 2021 | ISSUE 6

BOOM NEWS

News & highlights from Boom Collaboration

MEZZO news header-Dec-01-2021-05-27-09-63-AM

Video Calls

the birth and re-birth of video calling has a surprisingly long history

Long before the Zoom explosion of 2020, before Apple's Facetime release in 2011 and Skype's in 2003, and even before the cartoon video calls on the Jetson's there were other attempts to take video communication mainstream. In 1927 Bell Labs debuted the first ever video call with former President Herbert Hoover. It was a one to one video connection with the AT&T president on a large apparatus with a tiny, grainy image described in news articles at the time like a picture had come to life. Though an exciting event infrastructure and price made it a prohibitive effort and it would be several decades before the video call made headlines again.

In 1964, AT&T debuted the Picturephone at the New York City World's Fair. This time researchers measured interest as fair attendees made calls to Disneyland. This endeavor paved the way for video phones in offices and Picturephone rooms across the nation's largest cities. Lady Bird Johnson was on board to launch the phone but the effort also proved to be a market flop by 1973 due in large part to high costs and low consumer interest. More attempts followed and subsequently failed in the 80s and 90s paving the way to our present video-filled lives.

Now in 2021, almost 50 years after the Picturephone flop, we find ourselves on camera throughout much of the day. Our language has evolved to include new terminology where a "host" isn't just someone who invites you to a dinner party and our "meeting rooms" reside largely in the "cloud".

Who's your favorite?

everyone has their preferred platform

Some users love Webex for their enterprise options, others prefer Intermedia AnyMeeting for their SMB needs. Of course there is Zoom who has become synonymous with video calls. Then there is Microsoft Teams, RingCentral's Glip, GoToMeeting by LogMeIn and RingPlan Meet - just to rattle off a few.

At Boom, our team is on many of these platforms everyday. We talk with clients and partners, presenting demonstrations of our device's features and functionality, discussing their needs and pain points, and enjoying the quirks of life on video. The virtual meeting has come a long way since 1927 and we're excited for the capabilities these platforms continue to offer.