Your Next Office Window Could Come With an IP Address
*By Taylor Craig*
Smart glass windows, which automatically adjust tint to reduce heat and glare from sunlight, could reshape our office space and improve worker productivity because, as View CEO Rao Mulpuri says, "everyone wants the view."
But Mulpuri told Cheddar Thursday, "The biggest reason for people to do this is to improve the human condition inside the buildings."
"It's kind of like the sit-stand desk for the eye," he added
View produces smart glass windows for commercial spaces that adjust tint throughout the workday, come with an IP address, and can be controlled through an app.
The company recently sponsored a study that found this high-tech approach to something as common as office windows appeared to decrease worker drowsiness by 56 percent. Workers also reported a 51 percent drop in incidences of eyestrain and a significant drop in headaches, as well.
Mulpuri says that while natural light is essential for humans, it presents some difficulties.
"Those are in the form of glare and heat," he said. "To control glare, we pull the blinds or shades down, and that's what we fix."
View products increase usable space within the office setting, as heat and glare are no longer detractors to sitting next to the window.
And according to Mulpuri, "It keeps you comfortable all the time."
Skype users are scrambling to find an alternative after Microsoft shut down the pioneering internet phone service which let people make cheap long distance calls and chat with other users. Google Voice lets users make calls from a smartphone or a desktop web browser but it's only available to people in the U.S. Viber users can call phone numbers but can't get a number to receive calls. Zoom offers phone options too. You could get a number from a low cost virtual carrier or try other internet phone services. Microsoft says some Skype features will migrate to Teams, but its Teams Phone feature is only for businesses.
Amid a backdrop of ongoing tariff uncertainty, more and more gamers are facing price hikes. Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers around the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. — up $80 from the $299.99 price tag that debuted in 2020. And its more powerful Xbox Series X will be $599.99 going forward, a $100 jump from its previous $499.99 listing. The tech giant didn’t mention tariffs specifically, but cited wider “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” Beyond the U.S., Microsoft also laid out Xbox price adjustments for Europe, the U.K. and Australia. The company said all other countries would also receive updates locally.
