Microsoft is holding its first ever official Lync conference today in San Diego and the company used it to announce some upcoming plans for its Lync 2013 enterprise collaboration software. One of the reveals today is that iOS and Windows Phone 8 versions of the software will be made available in early March, followed a month later by an Android port.
The apps will all include VoIP and video over IP features and the Lync 2013 iPad version will also allow users to view shared desktop and application content in a Lync meeting. Microsoft"s blog also announced that Lync 2013 will include integrated support for Skype by June. The blog said:
This move will begin to enable what we call B2X. B2X places the focus of business communication on enabling human interactions. B2X puts people first and looks at communications in a unified way, not as disparate technology silos focused on one task or protocol.
The conference also talked about what Microsoft called Lync Room System. a series of products designed to help businesses who have conference rooms use their technology in a better way. The blog states:
Lync Room System makes it easy to share any content on your computer as naturally as you share video—and it is all automatically configured so you can start your meetings without technical difficulties.
A number of third party companies will release products based on Lync Room System, including Crestron, Lifesize, Polycom, and SMART. Microsoft will also offer quarterly Lync Online updates and a new Lync server version in the second quarter of 2014.
Source: Microsoft blog | Image via Microsoft