Cisco released a new video collaboration product this week called the Webex Room USB. This is another flavor of the Webex Room Kit Mini, and adds a low-cost device to the product portfolio.

The Webex Room USB is the same as the Mini but without some of the advanced features, allowing the price point to be reduced. However, the upside is that you can get the advanced features just by purchasing a license code. So when you're ready for more advanced features, it’s easy to get them.

Here’s what we love about this product:

• Its low cost creates easy entry to video in your small conference rooms.We all have rooms that we’d like to get video into but don’t have the budget. This solution is a no-brainer.

• You don’t have to use Webex with it if you don’t want to.It's compatible with other cloud conferencing solutions that need a camera. This is done through USB connection to your laptop and the Room unit becomes another camera available to your laptop which is very useful for video meetings.

• It’s not one of those fish-eye cameras.It’s a real camera with intelligent camera views.

• It has premium sound.Watch this video to compare the quality of sound it produces.

• It has wireless sharing via a web browser.Users can walk into the room with their laptops and show something on the screen with no cables.

When you are ready for more advanced features and don’t want to worry about having a laptop connected to the camera any longer, or you want the unit to be able to dial into meetings on it’s own, you can upgrade it to the Room Kit Mini with an easy upgrade package. This will turn the the unit into a Webex Room Kit Mini with Touch Room Controller. Nice and easy.

Want to see a WebEx Room USB in action? Let us know.