As leaders and team members settle into the hybrid way of working and begin returning to the office, collaborative technology will be critical to their success. At Owl Labs, we’re continuously working on products that make the transition to hybrid a little bit easier, so teams can do their best work, no matter where they’re located.

Here on the WFA_IRL Blog, you can now expect quarterly blog and video updates about our latest releases so you’re always aware of how your Owl can best help with your hybrid meetings. This quarter, we released 3 new software features to help make hybrid work easier for you: Presenter Enhance, Owl Connect, and Digital Whiteboard. These features have already flown their way over to your Owl, just double check that your Meeting Owl software is up to date to access them.

Check out more details on our latest updates below, and be sure you’ve subscribed to our blog so you don’t miss our future updates!

If you have any questions about how to use these new features, check out our FAQs.

Presenter Enhance

When Presenter Enhance is in use, the Meeting Owl Pro focuses on the active speaker and follows them around the room. When someone else in the room makes a comment, the Meeting Owl Pro will briefly split the screen between the presenter and participant, but will quickly switch back to the presenter when the participant is done speaking.

This feature was designed for presenters and teachers who want the flexibility to move around the room while having the camera focused on them. We’ve heard that it helps remote participants stay focused on the presentation, because the camera only follows one person. It also helps presenters and teachers embrace their natural style style by alleviating the worry that remote participants won’t be able to see them at all times.

Laura Deschaines, an 8th grade teacher at Oak Hill Middle School in Massachusetts says: “From a teaching standpoint, Presenter Enhance has been helpful in my hy-flex classes when I may be teaching from a couple of different instructional spaces within the room.”

Presenter Enhance is also helping businesses run more focused meetings. “Presenter Enhance and the Meeting Owl Pro help me stay immersed in the discussion so I don’t have to worry about the tech anymore,” says Greg Orth, Owner and President of Sandler Training in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Presenter Enhance can be accessed in the Meeting Owl app, or, you can push the "O" button on your Meeting Owl Pro during a meeting for instant activation.

For additional information, check out our Presenter Enhance FAQ.

Digital Whiteboard

Digital Whiteboard lets you transform your iPad screen into a whiteboard that can be viewed by remote participants. Ideal for brainstorming with team members when a whiteboard isn't available, Digital Whiteboard is simple to use in the Meeting Owl tablet app.

Here's what it looks like in action:

Stephen Gibbs Jr., Eastern Mennonite University’s Senior Educational Technology Engineer, is excited about how these new features are supporting faculty. “All of our teachers have their own unique style, and more options to customize their experience with tools like Presenter Enhance and Digital Whiteboard helps them create an immersive classroom environment for in-person and remote students.”

To learn how to access Digital Whiteboard on your iPad from the Meeting Owl tablet app, check out the FAQ.

Owl Connect

Owl Connect was built with larger meeting rooms and classrooms in mind and lets you pair two Meeting Owl Pros together to extend video and audio reach by 8 feet in every direction. 

Arc'Teryx uses Owl Connect to support their design and technical teams in larger spaces.“By mounting our Meeting Owl Pro devices on tripods and using Owl Connect to pair them, we are able to create highly-accessible and collaborative spaces wherever they are needed,” says IS Infrastructure Manager Noah Brunn.

To begin using Owl Connect, place your Meeting Owls 6-8 feet apart facing each other, and pair your Meeting Owls using the Meeting Owl app on your tablet or mobile device. Owl Connect is compatible with Presenter Enhance, so both Meeting Owls focus on the presenter, no matter where they are in the room.

Check out our quarterly video to learn more about Presenter Enhance, Digital Whiteboard, and Owl Connect, and stay tuned for the next update in September!