Does writing ‘2023’ feel weird to anyone else? It’s a new year, and the Vonage DevRel team is returning for another season of new projects, releases, and content to share with you! In Q4, we made sure to continue working hard to launch new releases, even during the last stretch of the year. Let’s check them out.
Video Calls: Easier and More Flexible
Firebase Extension
Video creates more engagement than text or audio, which makes video one of the most effective ways to engage customers. Dwane Hemmings created the Firebase extension that allows users to add video chat to their applications quickly and easily. He used Vonage Video Express, a JS library used to create multiparty video conferencing applications. Now you can significantly improve the quality of your communication with your customers!
Background Blur API
With remote work encouraging us all to turn on our cameras more, we can’t say we are the proudest of our home background. Sina Madani made it possible to blur the background or replace the background image entirely by adding a few lines of code to your Vonage video application. Whether it’s to hide a mess or eliminate distractions from people walking into the camera view, give your users the ability to hide their background messes or eliminate distracting people walking behind them and test out Sina's solution.
Okay, Now You’re Talking My Language
Node SDK
As promised, we released Vonage Node SDK v3.0.0! Chuck Reeves broke the SDK into smaller components, so we can more easily add future features. He also removed all function callbacks, which should make your code cleaner. Functions now use parameter objects instead of arguments making them more manageable. What features would you want to see in v4?
Introducing the Laravel Vonage Helpdesk
Responding to messages is so much more convenient when you can do it across multiple channels. James Seconde shows how you can build a Laravel application that allows your customers to contact businesses and choose the preferred channel, such as SMS.
Join the Party
New year, new us! Q4 was a fabulous quarter for our team, and we can’t wait for you to see everything in store for 2023. Until then, follow us on Twitter and join our Community Slack group. We are launching a pilot developer advisory board and welcome you to reach out to us on Slack if you are interested in joining. We love talking to our developers and are always open to feedback. Cheers!