Buckle up for meetings on the road as Cisco brings Webex to Audi autos

Nothing says Happy Friday for illustration news that Cisco is trying to thief your leader pry yet much of your clip and individual abstraction from you: nan Webex collaboration app will beryllium equipped successful prime Audi cars from adjacent year.

The networking biz has said it is moving pinch nan Volkswagen Group's package developer CARIAD and Samsung subsidiary HARMAN to create nan "first app for hybrid work" successful vehicles from 2024.

So not only are you faced pinch endless meetings successful nan location office, nan agency office, and conscionable astir anyplace other you tin return a laptop aliases a phone, now there'll beryllium 1 less spot to hide. Instead of resisting nan impulse to outcry astatine reckless drivers, you'll beryllium holding your lingua tight to not show John successful accounts that he shouldn't beryllium extending nan gathering by contesting nan contents of descent 50.

Cisco wants you to cognize that nan modern spot of activity is nary longer "confined to a azygous abstraction aliases device."

"We're connected a ngo to toggle shape nan connected car into different hold of nan hybrid workplace," said Cisco's Jeetu Patel, exec veep and General Manager for Security & Collaboration. "Our activity pinch starring manufacturers for illustration Audi will empower customers pinch a safe and seamless measurement to enactment connected and beryllium productive sloppy of wherever aliases really you're working."

The Webex app, which was developed by CARIAD and HARMAN, will beryllium disposable to download via nan in-vehicle Audi Application Store connected caller accumulation models of nan Audi A4, A5, Q5, A6, A7, A8 Q8 e-tron and e-tron GT successful Europe, North America, Mexico, and different regions.

We're told that allowing for elastic activity cultures presents group pinch "access to elevated activity experiences that tin beryllium personalized to fresh their lifestyles." And location was america reasoning exertion was expected to make our lives easier, much productive, and little stressful. Go meetings!

Before you think, "Come on, El Reg, driving and chatting to nan leader and my peers while racing to a customer tract isn't nan safest measurement to behaviour one's self." And you'd beryllium right. Luckily, Cisco considered this.

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"With features designed to prioritize safety, Webex goes into audio-only mode erstwhile nan car is successful transit to guarantee that drivers tin participate successful meetings without taking their eyes disconnected nan road. When parked, drivers can return advantage of Webex's afloat immersive collaboration acquisition and are capable to position gathering participants, shared contented and closed captioning."

Phew. Oh, and it comes pinch added AI because why not. These AI-enhanced meetings will, we're told, supply "best-in-class sound removal and sound optimization" truthful that drivers tin beryllium heard "without disruptive inheritance sounds" including "roadway sound aliases construction."

Ah meetings, you've sewage to emotion 'em. According to historical studies, meetings support increasing successful magnitude pinch institution execs often spending almost 23 hours a week locked successful them, up from 10 hours successful nan 1960s. They are intended to foster collaboration and productivity – and immoderate undoubtedly do. Other tin beryllium joyless, grinding affairs that trim productivity and zap morale.

So location you person it, people. The toilet is officially nan past spot wherever nan dreaded gathering cannot return place, astatine slightest not pinch video enabled.

Where's nan weirdest spot you've ever held aliases joined a meeting? Are you excited astir nan paradigm displacement successful comms that in-vehicle Webex tin bring? Let america cognize successful nan comments. ®