The humble desk phone has been reborn
Posted by T Kat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Comment(s): 2
The humble desk phone has been reborn
The technology of phones has moved at seemingly lightening speed over the last 20 or so years. If you have any doubts about that, have a conversation with a 10 year old (you mean there was a time before Facebook, SMS and Smartphones? What’s a payphone?). I remember being a kid and seeing a mobile phone for the first time, it was the size of a small backpack, cost a couple o grand and drew a wide-eyed and wondering crowd. Now, of course we have smart phones and the ‘brick phones’ of yesteryear seem to be from an ancient and strange universe.
Oddly enough, whilst the mobile phone has slimmed down and changed enormously, the business desk phone really doesn’t seem to have changed all that much. Sure with LCD screens we got caller ID and VoIP has changed the way we call, but somehow the traditional look, dimensions, layout and concept of the desk phone have remained reasonably unchanged.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s familiar and that’s always nice. But a new take on an ‘ol reliable is refreshing. Here at OfficeLife, we’ve just received a new range of Polycom and Plantronics desk phones and among the newbies there’s a little of both the comfortingly familiar and the strikingly futuristic.
If you’ve been looking for a more compact phone unit, there are a couple among the new range that might be of interest you. If you’ve been looking for a full traditional desk phone that’s USB only and PC powered, prepare to be very happy. If you’re looking for a completely new take on the desk/speaker/conference phone check out the new Calisto 820.
View the whole new range here:
Plantronics Calisto P540-M
- PC-powered desk phone
- Optimised for use with Microsoft Lync
- Familiar desk phone design and features
- Simple USB plug-and-play
- Wideband audio for enhanced speech clarity
- High quality speakerphone
- Headset ready
- SoundGuard protection against audio spikes
- Echo cancelation technology
Plantronics Calisto P820
- Connects to and switches seamlessly between calls from PC and mobile
- Colour display
- Touch sensitive dial pad
- Supports Bluetooth Headsets
- Supports corded headsets (3.5mm)
- Full duplex wideband audio
- Advanced noise canceling
- Premium, rich sounding speakerphone
- Use with softphones Avaya, Cisco, Skype and more.
Polycom CX200
- Telephone peripheral for Microsoft Lync 2010
- Handset, headset and speakphone options
- Superior full duplex speakerphone mode
- Call forwarding, voicemail and message waiting indicators
- Simple set up - USB plug-and-play
- Directly activates Microsoft Communicator/Lync
Polycom CX300
- Full-featured, 2 line telephone peripheral for Microsoft Lync
- High definition audio
- Full dial pad and LCD display
- Superior full duplex Speakerphone
- Simple set up - USB plug-and-play
- Directly activates Microsoft Lync
Polycom CX500
- Full featured phone for use with Microsoft Lync
- Polycom HD Voice technology for stunning sound quality
- Large 9cm colour display
- Single integrated Power Over Ethernet (PoE) port for simple installation
- Great for common areas, break rooms
Polycom CX600
- Full featured phone for use with Microsoft Lync
- Polycom HD Voice technology for stunning sound quality
- Large 9cm colour display
- USB port for optional "Better Together" capabilities
- Two-port Gigabit Ethernet switch for PC pass-through
Polycom CX700
- Full featured phone for use with Microsoft Lync
- Polycom HD Voice technology for stunning sound quality
- Large 9cm colour display
- USB port for optional "Better Together" capabilities
- Two-port Gigabit Ethernet switch for PC pass-through
Comments
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I like the look of the new Calisto P820, does it also take mobile calls?
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on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Hi Unifor!
We love the new Calisto P820, it's a great unit. And it absolutely does take calls from mobiles as well as from your PC.
