If you’ve been reading here for a bit you’ll know that I like my Plantronics .Audio 615m headset. I heartily recommend the Plantronics .Audio lineup for people who need a headset for use with a soft phone.
Since back when this review was published I’ve heard a couple of times that people have had issues with the Plantronics .Audio line not working correctly on Mac systems. Most recently this comment was posted to the review:
True to their promise Polycom has introduced a new low-end model in the SoundPoint range, the IP335. A sample unit arrived here just before the Christmas holidays and I’ve been using it as my principle desk phone for about a week.
The primary raison d’etre for this new model is extending the reach of their HDVoice offering into the lower-priced, entry level models. Yes, the IP335 is HDVoice capable, supporting the G.722 wideband codec.
The holidays are a time for family gatherings. There are many facets to this reality. In the week leading up to the holidays I was provisioning a couple of new phones for coworkers, and a sample of the new Polycom…
It’s nearing the end of the year so some of the punditry have started making prognostications. Those who don’t look back at the year just past for fear that the coming year holds untold terrors. And of course, top ten lists start showing up well beyond the confines of David Letterman’s Late Show.
Most of this I simply ignore, but Doug Mohney at HDVoice News has an interesting top ten list; 2009 HD Voice Players – 10 people who have moved HD Voice forward over the past year.
Over a period of years I’ve used quite a number of these portable USB attached speakerphone devices. A while ago I summarized my experienced with them, but as a couple of new models have recently emerged so I find that they have my attention yet again. These new devices, if I should be lucky enough to try them, will be the focus on some future posts. For the moment I have another observation to share based upon a recent experience.
All of these portable speakerphones I find well suited to individual use. That is, they work well enough for an individual who sitting at their PC and doesn’t like to wear a headset. They’re also sufficiently portable to please a road warrior. One of the nice things about this kind of device is that they often support HDVoice when paired with a suitable soft phone.
…price that is. Polycom used VoiceCon this week as an opportunity to launch their newest low-end HDVoice capable desktop phone, the Polycom SoundPoint IP335. An update of the popular SoundPoint IP330/331 models the major changes in the IP335 include support for HDVoice via hardware upgrades and support for the G.722 codec.
The SoundPoint IP335 is a two-line phone with full duplex speakerphone capability. It also features an RJ-9 connection for a traditional headset, a backlit LCD display and electronic hookswitch (EHS) capability. All of these features are upgrades from the prior model.