Phil Libin, founder of Evernote, has rebranded his video startup as Airtime and launched new meeting tools called Airtime Creator and Airtime Camera.

Airtime Creator is a tool that allows users present while appearing alongside slides, and shows up to 10 participants on screen.

Airtime Camera offers options for customizing virtual appearances, including background changes, logos, and visual reactions.

Both Airtime tools work with platforms like Zoom, Teams, Meet, and Webex.

Users will have access to both tools, with Airtime Camera available for free until August 1, 2025.

After that date, it will cost US$20 as a one-time fee.

Airtime Creator is offered as a US$10 monthly subscription, with a free trial available.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Video conferencing has democratized from exclusive tech to ubiquitous software

Airtime’s launch represents the latest chapter in video conferencing’s 60-year journey from prohibitively expensive hardware to accessible software solutions.

In 1964, AT&T’s groundbreaking Picturephone at the World’s Fair offered video calls with just one frame every two seconds, but remained too costly for widespread adoption 1.

The technology remained largely inaccessible through the 1980s, when Compression Labs’ video conferencing system cost $250,000 plus $1,000 per hour of use, putting it out of reach for all but the largest corporations 2.

The 1990s marked the critical turning point with the first PC-based systems from PictureTel and IBM in 1991, followed by Cornell University’s CU-SeeMe software in 1992, which brought video calling to personal computers 3.

This democratization accelerated dramatically in the 2000s with free services like Skype, transforming video communication from a corporate luxury to an everyday consumer tool 2.

Now, Airtime represents the latest evolution, with specialized software enhancing commodity video platforms. This illustrates how the industry has shifted from selling expensive proprietary systems to creating value-added experiences on universally accessible platforms.