Polycom IP 550 IP Phone With HD Voice Technology

Polycom IP550 four line desktop IP Phone

The Polycom IP 550 desktop phone is a four-line SIP phone that delivers calls of unprecedented richness and clarity and supports a comprehensive range of cutting-edge features. The Polycom IP550 desktop phone features Polycom’s revolutionary HD Voice technology, which brings life-like richness and clarity to every call. 1.5 Polycom HD Voice technology incorporates wideband audio for over twice the voice clarity; Polycom’s patented Acoustic Clarity Technology for crystal-clear, noise- and echo-free sound, plus best-in-class system design for high-fidelity, faithful voice reproduction. The IP 550 is the obvious next step up from Polycom’s benchmark IP phone the IP 501.

Polycom IP 550 Features and Functionality

In addition, the Polycom IP550 has a back lit 320 x 160-pixel graphical grayscale LCD, shared call/bridged line appearance, busy lamp field (BLF), presence, buddy lists and XHTML micro-browser for Web applications that can be pushed down to the phone to increase or enhance business productivity or business processes.

Polycom IP 550 First Impressions

I think Polycom has missed the mark with the IP 550. Sure, adding the HD Voice capability, backlit display (finally!!!), and XHTML capabilities positions the Polycom IP550 for the next stage of VoIP calling, but at what cost? With an MSRP of $369.99 and estimated street price above $300, this gives Polycom three IP phones in the plus $300 range (Polycom IP601, IP650, and now the IP 550), and five phones in the sub $200 range (IP301, IP 320, IP330, IP 430, and IP 501). Unless they plan on dropping the MSRP on the IP601, they could very well experience poor sales on some of their higher end phones and at least one of middle of the road offerings. The cost of the new boards (that enable of these cool new features) must be driving up the costs of these phones.

With street prices on Cisco IP Phones in the $250-$180 range (CP-7960G and CP-7940G) and with HD Voice not widely supported by VoIP Service Providers, you are best to wait for other options, unless of course, you are working with an unlimited budget and or are in a position to take advantage of the XHTML functionality.

Polycom IP 330 Two Line Small Medium Enterprise IP Phone

Polycom IP 330 Small Medium Enterprise IP Phone

The new Polycom IP330 is a two-line SIP phones that deliver superb sound quality as well as a wide range of supported business telephony features. The SoundPoint IP330 phone, with its dual-port10/100 Ethernet switch for LAN and PC connection, presents a cost-effective solution for cubicle workers as well as call center operators who use a “hard” phone in conjunction with a “soft” client running on the PC.

Polycom IP330 Features and Functionality

In addition to having two lines and a single 10/100 ethernet port, the IP330 features a full-duplex speakerphone, an easy-to-read, 102 x 33-pixel graphical LCD, support of shared lines, presence, 3-way local conferencing, and distinctive call treatment, in addition to XHTML micro-browser for Web applications. The phone is also Power over Ethernet (PoE) compliant.

Polycom IP330 First Impressions

The Polycom IP330 matches up feature for feature with the Linksys SPA-942, and with an MSRP of $179.99, this should hit the streets at around $159.99, making it an affordable solution for cubicle dwellers across the world. What has, and always will, make Polycom phones a step above 90% of their competitors is their voice and speakerphone quality. It is killer. For those in the market for a middle of the road IP Phone for their small medium enterprise, you certainly will not go wrong with the Polycom IP330.

Polycom IP320 Small Business IP Phone

Polycom IP320 IP Phone Expands Polycom Phone Line

Introducing the new Polycom IP 320 a two-line SIP phone that delivers superb sound quality as well as a wide range of supported business telephony features. The SoundPoint IP 320 phone, has a single 10/100 Ethernet port, therefore its application targets include common areas, such as lobbies, hallways, and break rooms, as well as various wall-mounted deployments.

Polycom IP320 Additional Features and Functionality

In addition to having two lines and a single 10/100 ethernet port, the IP320 features a full-duplex speakerphone, an easy-to-read, 102 x 33-pixel graphical LCD, support of shared lines, presence, 3-way local conferencing, and distinctive call treatment, in addition to XHTML micro-browser for Web applications.

Polycom IP320 First Impressions

The Polycom IP320 is definitely on par with the Linksys SPA941, and with an MSRP of $139.99, this should hit the streets at around $119.99, making it an affordable solution for the small medium enterprise. This is less of an innovation play for Polycom and more of an attempt to broaden their product line a thwart off competitive offerings from the likes of Linksys and Grandstream. You can’t beat Polycom’s voice and speakerphone quality, so if you are lookign for a basic IP phone for your lobby or break room, the Polycom IP320 is a perfect fit.

Fonality Releases the trixbox Appliance

FONALITY LAUNCHES THE trixbox ASTERISK-BASED APPLIANCE

Fonality today announced a new enterprise telephony appliance based on trixbox, a leading Asterisk-based IP-PBX, and a range of complementary professional support options. The trixbox Appliance comes pre-installed with the trixbox software platform and is an industrial grade rack-mountable server with dual hard disk and dual power supply redundancy options.

It is aimed at businesses with five to 500 employees and can be purchased for use with VoIP, E1/T1 or up to 48 analog lines. Created for trixbox and Asterisk resellers, as well as IT professionals, the trixbox Appliance costs $999 and delivers the industry’s best price performance value for a PBX.

trixbox Enterprise Appliance Provides Affordability and Reliability for Businesses up to 500 Employees

The trixbox Appliance is powered by Intel and comes with pre-configured Sangoma line cards with industry-leading Octasic echo-cancellation hardware inside. Broad support for the appliance has been announced by a growing trixbox ecosystem that includes phone manufacturers Polycom, Aastra, and Grandstream, as well as VoIP service providers VoicePulse
and Teliax.

The trixbox Appliance includes trixbox 2.2, a new release of the popular distribution that integrates Asterisk with Apache, MySQL, SugarCRM and PHP. Included in this release is the new open source Asterisk GUI (graphical user interface), a component of the AsteriskNow(tm) distribution, which gives customers an additional trixbox GUI option.

Motorola VT2542 to be Offered by Vonage

Motorolas VT2542 is a Wireless Router and Telephone Adaptor

The Motorola VT2542 features a 4-port wired and 802.11 b/g wireless access point for home networking connectivity and can connect up to two (2) Vonage lines, including telephone and fax. one of the stand-out features of the Motorola VT2542 is voice-over-data prioritization, which allows users to talk on the phone while using the Internet with no reduction in voice quality as voice packets are given a priority over data packets.

Other features include Virtual Private Network (VPN) pass-through support, a secure web based user interface and full support of standard Vonage features, such as conference calling, call forwarding, call transfer, and call waiting. This new device is available at http://www.vonage.com for $59.99 after a $40 instant rebate ($99.00 -$40.00 =$59.99) (a $9.95 shipping and handling fee and a $29.99 activation fee is charged). This is definitely a solid device choice for those considering using Vonage.

Citel Releases PorticoTM Handset Gateway

Citel PorticoTM Analog/Digital Handset Gateway

Citel has released a handset gateway to compliment their exisiting line of PBX gateways. Citel’s Portico TVA connects legacy PBX handsets to a premise-based IP PBX or Hosted IP service provider network, and dramatically reduces the expenditure and disruption usually associated with IP telephony migration.

High value VoIP features and services pass through Portico TVA directly to existing PBX handsets over existing wiring, transforming them into new IP phones. With Portico, enterprises avoid the expense of a LAN assessment, LAN upgrade, and new IP handsets. A laptop or desktop web browser is used for enhanced VoIP features such as click to call, simultaneous ringing, and Microsoft Outlook integration.

Visit www.citel.com for more information.

Panasonic KX-WP1050 Skype Wi-Fi Phone

Panasonic KX-WP1050 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi Phone for Skype

The Panasonic KX-WP1050 Wi-Fi is the first in a line of made for Skype products to released by Panasonic over the coming months, but it is far from the first, or even the most innovative Wi-Fi Phone for Skype. As with all Wi-Fi Skype phones, the biggest benefit of the device is that you don’t have to be tied to your desktop in order to use the Skype service. Panasonic,though, has taken the complexity out of making Skypeâ„¢ calls by including a complete kit with the KX-WP1050 which can be set up and used by virtually anyone with little or no computer experience. The included router simplifies the set up of the Wi-Fi access point, and guarantees a secure wireless connection with automatic 256-bit AES encryption setup (WPA). The router can also be plugged into a hotel or office network giving the user a wireless connection for their laptop and the ability to use the Wi-Fi phone simultaneously. The AC adapter is compatible with all voltages from 100V to 240V, so it can be used by simply attaching the AC cord (sold separately) for a particular country.

This is something not currently offered by other Skype Wi-Fi phones and certainly makes it a bit more unique than standard offerings.

Panasonic KX-WP1050 Features and Functionality

This new model offers the range and security of WPA encrypted Wi-Fi technology, as well as Quality of Service (QoS) to improve voice quality. It features easy menu-driven operation, and a loud handset speakerphone, as well as a built-in headset jack for those long international calls. At just 0.62″ thick and weighing less than 4 ounces, the phone is convenient and easy to carry. The 730mAh Lithium-ion battery can provide up to a 55 hours standby time, and 4.5 hours talk time, and can be charged with the included travel router, or from a USB connection on a PC.

Skype features accessible by this phone include:

• Free Skype-to-Skype calling – with Skype, you can talk to any of the
  more than 171 million registered Skype users over the Internet for free.
• Online Presence – see at a glance which of your Skype contacts is
  available for a chat, and allow others to see your status as well.
• SkypeOut – an inexpensive way to call from Skype to traditional
  landlines or mobiles.
• SkypeIn – a premium Skype product which provides a number people can
  call that users answer in Skype.
• Skype Voicemail – takes your calls when you’re busy or offline.
• Skype Call Forwarding – can be set right from the Panasonic KX-WP1050 phone.
• Skype Conference Calls – the Panasonic KX-WP1050 can be added to Skype
  conference calls.

Panasonic KW-WP1050 First Impressions

Overall, the Panasonic KW-WP1050 is pretty standard. It is does the same basic things that all other Skype Wi-Fi phones do. The difference maker though, has to be the travel kit that comes with the phone. The router that is included with the KW-WP1050 is definitely “thinking ahead” and certainly makes registering the Wi-Fi phone easier. At $399.99, it is definitely a bit pricey, but that is probably because of the router. If you travel, stay in hotels, and are a heavy Skype user, it might be worth the extra money to save on headaches, if not, I would looks for a more inexpensive model.