Amazon Takes On Video Conferencing With a Chime

Amazon has designed Chime with a single purpose in mind: improving the landscape of the online video conferencing product. Whether you are using Mac, Windows, an iPhone, or an Android phone, there’s a version of Chime available for you. A single tap or click is all it takes to join a meeting, and people can chime in from anywhere. One of the nicest features, though, happens when you have a meeting scheduled: the app actually calls you so the conference begins on time.

From a desktop computer, you can use Amazon Chime to video conference with up to 16 people. If you’re signing on from your mobile device, you’ll be able to see up to eight people. The service uses high quality wide-band audio, along with HD video, so you can focus on the conversation instead of straining to hear what everyone is saying.

From within the app, you can also chat with people, inside or outside your organization. You get a notification when a new message comes in, and can see when your own messages are sent, delivered, and read. Whether your chatting with one person or a group, the app is easy to use and allows you to share files by attaching them to the conversation. Content is viewable from within the app, so there’s no switching around.

For your first 30 days, you can use Amazon Chime Pro for free. After that, you can either stick with Chime Basic for free, or pay on a per-user basis for more features. With Amazon Chime Basic, you get video calls for up to two people along with chat support. The Amazon Chime Plus option adds screen sharing and the ability to use your corporate directory, while a Pro offering will allow you to set personal meeting addresses and hold video conferences for up to 100 people.

If you’d rather not pay for video conferencing, here are a couple of alternatives. What’s your favorite video conferencing app?