Technologies

Verizon Launches Free Video Conferencing Subscription

The BlueJeans Basic plan doesn’t have time constraints for meetings and aims to rival Zoom.

While Zoom has become ubiquitous for virtual meetings, Verizon‘s rollout of a free subscription for its video conferencing tool seeks to edge out the competition. On Wednesday, Verizon announced the launch of BlueJeans Basic, a new plan that grants users unlimited free meetings without any time cutoffs.

Up to 25 attendees are allowed in meetings, and no credit cards are required to sign up for the free version. In addition to being paywall-free, the BlueJeans Basic subscription includes features such as spatial audio, HD video, breakout sessions and calendar integrations. It’s available for desktop and mobile users.

Though Verizon’s free offering doesn’t impose a time limit, there is no option to record to the cloud or your device. In comparison, Zoom’s basic plan allows up to 100 participants and computer recordings, and it comes with a 40-minute time limit.

display screen showing virtual meeting against backdrop for Verizon's BlueJeans Basic — Verizon’s free video conference plan for BlueJeans launched today.

Verizon

Verizon acquired BlueJeans in 2020 in an effort to expand its enterprise services when businesses and educational institutions shifted to remote work during the pandemic. The platform offers three subscriptions for virtual meetings, but also offers tools to host webinars, online events, telehealth sessions and hybrid conference rooms.

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Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 23 #538

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 23, No. 538.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a funny one, with a lot of short words to find. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Rub it in, why don’t you?

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Skincare.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RATE, RARE, MARE, MART, LAST, BLAST, CRAM, RUTS, RULE, JELL, STRUT, SURE, RUSE, BUTT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: