76 OCTOBER2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE392
forthe time being, with webcams and
videoconferencing tools.
Perhaps aless personable alternative,but a
much safer one,and it’s not like everyone is
limited to just sitting and talking. Homemade
quiz nights, TVwatchalongs and group gaming
sessions are all good ways to stayconnected
in these strange times.
If you’re latetothe party,however, you
maybewondering which of the many services
will best suit your needs. Indeed, these suites
mayultimately performthe same basic task of
video calling, but theycan serve hugely
distinct purposes within this: the familiar
WhatsApp,for instance,isintended fora
focused and simple wayofmakingsmall group
calls, while the likes of ZoomandGoogle Meet
are enterprise-grade tools, partly repackaged
forprivatehome users but still capable of
enormous group sizes and offering extensive
presentation and networking features.
In addition, most of these services have
gone undergone significant changes over the
course of the lockdown, the sudden burst in
both demand and competition provoking firms
intoenhancing their offerings –whether it’s
bigger group sizes, longer call time limits or
added security measures.
There’s certainly alot to consider,which is
why we’ve put together this guide.We’ll first
TA LKINGPOINTS
Videochatapps
There’sneverbeenagreaterneedtokeepintouchwithfriendsandfamily
remotely. Luckily, there’snoshortageofvideo-callingsoftwareand services,and
thepressuresof lockdownhavepushedtheirmakerstokeepaddingimprovements
SEVERALMONTHSIN,and the coronavirus
remains aforce to be reckoned with. While
some lockdown restrictions have been lifted,
it’s still much harder to have aface-to-face
conversation with your loved ones, mates
and colleagues than it is to go forapint.
Yo u’re probably already aware of the
explosion in video-calling software usage
that this lockdown has produced. Zoomin
particular seemed to go fromobscure
business softwaretohousehold name
almost overnight, and it’s easy to see
why.Visiting family,socialising with
friends, chatting with colleagues at the
office –they’ve all been replaced, at least
