Logitech Brio 500 are an alternative to Apple Desk View

Logitech unveiled its newest Brio 500 webcam and Zone Vibe headphones today, taking aim at the large workforce still stuck at home using Zoom and Teams.

Logitech, maker of some of the best webcams you can buy, hopes these stylish productivity tools will meet the needs of hybrid and work-at-home workers. One of the Brio 500’s features is taken right from Apple’s playbook, with the ability to point down and show a view of your desk.

“Many remote and hybrid workers are still underequipped and grappling with pre-pandemic-era solutions,” the general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration, Scott Wharton, said during the launch.

He highlighted some of the new features built into the Brio 500 webcam, such as automatic framing and automatic lighting. The Logitech Brio 500 webcam has another trick up its sleeve: It can film items on the desk and automatically flip the image, so your viewers see the full picture.

This is like Apple’s new Desk View, which the Cupertino, California company displayed at WWDC 2022 back in June. Desk View allows you to use your iPhone as a webcam and can capture objects on your desk for your video call. However, there is one enormous difference: Desk View does it with the click of a setting, while the Brio 500 needs to be manually pointed down toward your desk.

The Brio 500 webcams have what Logitech calls “Right Sight” technology, which keeps you in frame even as you move around. It also has Right Light 4, which automatically adjusts the image brightness to compensate for bad lighting in your environment.

The Zone Vibe wireless headphones are designed to be worn for prolonged periods. Logitech claims these offer “business-grade” performance while remaining comfortable thanks to memory foam covered in soft knitted fabric mesh.

They weigh only 6.5 ounces and there are three versions of the Zone Vibe headphones: the Zone Vibe 100, which have a Bluetooth receiver built-in; the Zone Vibe 125, which come with a Bluetooth USB-A receiver you need to plug in, and the Zone Vibe Wireless, which Logitech says is certified for “Microsoft Teams use.”

Both the Brio 500 webcam and the Zone Vibe headphones are certified to be carbon neutral thanks to carbon offsetting during the manufacturing process. Most of the plastic parts in the Zone Vibe headphones are made from recycled plastics, while 25% of the plastic in the Brio 500 is recycled.

The Brio 500 webcam is $129 and is available now at the Logitech website.  The Zone Vibe headphones will be available in December. The Zone Vibe 100 will cost $99, while the Zone Vibe 125 and Zone Vibe Wireless will cost $130.

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