Lenovo has presented the ThinkSmart View at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The compact ‘personal business communications’ device is exclusively intended for conducting meetings in Microsoft Teams.
The ThinkSmart View is literally no more than an 8-inch screen, camera, microphone and speaker. It has a similar form factor to the Lenovo Smart Display for the Google Assistant, but is designed to take part in Microsoft Teams meetings from anywhere.
It runs Android on a Qualcomm APQ8053-SoC, running only the Microsoft Teams IP Phone app. Lenovo positions the ThinkSmart View for use cases “from private and home offices to shared workspaces and common areas to privacy booths.”
Depending on the room you’re in, you can use the ThinkSmart View’s speaker or pair it with a Bluetooth headset. The device also has a built-in camera slide to cover the webcam when not in use. In addition, the device can be locked via a PIN code.
Personal use
The ThinkSmart View is clearly intended for personal use, which makes us wonder what the added value is compared to a laptop. “In combination with a PC, ThinkSmart View can be used for voice and video calls, viewing content and more, freeing up the PC for taking notes and other work,” Lenovo says.
The ThinkSmart View is currently on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and will be available for a suggested retail price of 349 dollars (about 312 euros) this month. For 449 dollars (about 401 euros) you will get an added ThinkPad X1 ANC Bluetooth headset with it.
ThinkSmart Manager
Along with the conference device, Lenovo is also launching ThinkSmart Manager software to manage ThinkSmart devices. The software makes it possible to deploy, manage, configure, update and troubleshoot devices remotely. A central console provides real-time status updates of all devices and usage statistics.
Lenovo began its push into the smart office in 2018. In addition to the new ThinkSmart View, it also launched hardware for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms earlier. Through Smart Office Professional Services it also helps companies with the implementation of such solutions.
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