Logitech recently revealed a couple of business-centric devices aimed at enhancing office life, with the Logi Dock Flex and Rally Bar Huddle.
In recent years, different workplaces have implemented various approaches to managing remote and in-person work. What these devices from Logitech aim to tackle is the ability to provide a better, more structured office experience.
The Logi Dock Flex acts as a station that provides up-to-date information on who’s sitting where in flexible workplaces, making it easier to plan office days. Meanwhile, the Rally Bar Huddle is the latest device in Logitech’s videoconferencing range, aimed at smaller breakout meeting spaces.
Logi Dock Flex makes hotdesking easier
Billed as an answer to hybrid workplaces, the Logi Dock Flex serves multiple functions. It’s a docking station made to live on each desk that houses multiple ports, including USB-C, USB-A, DisplayPort, and HDMI. On the front is an 8-inch display that shows at-a-glance information such as who’s using the desk that day, your calendar, and personalised messages for colleagues.
Via the Logitech Sync platform, IT managers can monitor desk spaces and devices to the Logi Dock Flex. This allows workplaces to access real-time information about how employees use office spaces, providing management with data for decision-making. Most importantly, it lets workers view who’s in the office via the Logi Tune app, plan when to come in, and book a desk near colleagues.
The core idea behind the docking station is that it allows both employees and employers to make informed decisions about work. Workers can easily coordinate when to come into the office for in-person collaboration and sit near each other through Logi Tune notifications. Meanwhile, bosses can monitor peak office times and plan accordingly.
When asked about potential surveillance and privacy concerns, Logitech explained that the Logi Dock Flex only monitors data relevant to planning, not performance-related measures like keystrokes and cursor movement. It lets managers see how often spaces are used, who’s sitting where, and the health of connected devices. It’s also a way of ensuring that you only take your laptop with you, and not running off with office equipment connected to the desk.
For workplaces, Logi Dock Flex also works with Microsoft Teams and Zoom Workspace Reservation software in addition to Logitech Sync. Available in Australia this spring, the Logi Dock Flex costs $1,269.95 through Logitech and authorised sellers.
Smarten video meetings with the Logitech Rally Bar Huddle
Another business device unveiled was the Rally Bar Huddle, an all-in-one audio and video device for smaller meeting spaces. Essentially a webcam and speaker array, it connects to PCs, external appliances like a TV, and your own device.
Once you set the Rally Bar Huddle up either above or below a TV, or on a desk, it provides what Logitech refers to as an “equitable meeting experience”. By this, the company means it uses AI technology to ensure everyone is easily seen during videoconference meetings. During a meeting, the device will automatically detect who’s talking and make them the focal point. Plus, if you’re gathering in a space where people are visible walking past windows, you can establish boundaries so that only attendees in the meeting space are recognised. Its 4K video quality means that even when zooming in, participants remain clearly visible.
The Rally Bar Huddle is Logitech’s smallest Rally Bar device, with the Rally Bar Mini, Rally Bar, and Rally Bar Plus made for larger meeting spaces. Like the Logi Dock Flex, the Rally Bar Huddle also uses Logitech Sync software to provide data on how frequently spaces get used. It’s not just for workplaces, either, with suggested use cases including healthcare and education settings. For these instances, different options like an easy-clean cover help to keep things sanitary.
By itself, the Rally Bar Huddle costs $3,099 when it releases in July. As part of Logitech’s sustainability initiatives, it’s the company’s first video bar made with recycled plastics. It contains up to 42% post-consumer recycled plastic in its construction.
Between the Logi Dock Flex and the Rally Bar Huddle, Logitech’s new business devices attempt to bridge the gap between workers, regardless of location.
