snom 300 Handset is Now Microsoft Lync Qualified--Entire Line Works With Lync 2010

snom is continuing to forge ahead with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (formerly OCS, Wave "14", MS Communication Server, etc) interoperable devices and just today announced their snom 300 is now formally has joined the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Compatible Program.

While the snom 300 is the first device to be added to this program all of snoms 3xx and 8xx series phones are also interoperable with Lync and share a similar firmware. snom has also introduced the first Lync interoperable DECT phone with the snom M9 (read more) snom also has a Lync compatible conference room phone and PA loudspeaker (see my video review).

I've noticed the Lync certified phones from Polycom and Aastra share an identical firmware which is probably a pro and con. The pro's being that they have a really slick color GUI, do RTaudio and are certified. The pro's about snom's firmware is that they can do creative things like have the phone register to standard SIP pbx at the same time as a Lync Server, provide very cost effective handsets with small black/white screens and put their firmware on all kinds of devices like portable phones and loudspeaker devices.

I am very impressed with snom's continuing committment to adding value to their snom 3xx line. We have had snom 3xx phones at our office for around 5 years and now those same phone handsets (no extra cost) can work with the latest in UC innovations including showing presence! (see me demonstrating OCS/Lync on snom 360) That is value.

Snom Press Release on Lync Compatible Device

Polycom CX500 Phone First Impression Video: El-Cheapo Buttons?

This was at the 2010 Microsoft WorldWide Partner Conference. I was surprised at the phone button and chassis quality--I expected better from Polycom. The buttons felt like a cheap phone at a hotel buttons! The display was very nice with eye catching graphics and Communication server presence. This phone is a standalone phone that requires no PC unlike most other polycom OCS phones.

Currently snom, Aastra and Polycom are the 3 manufacturers that make standalone handsets for OCS or CS "14".



Below is my colleague Wendell and I checking out HP's Communication Server branch office equipment at the WPC2010 expo. Communication Server was very well represented at WPC--it really appears to be up and coming!

snom Releases Extension Microphones for Their MeetingPoint OCS & SIP Conference Phone

snom now has extension microphones available for their very well-built MeetingPoint conference phone. According to snom's website this will allow you to extend the MeetingPoint's reach up to 70M!! (whoa! thats bigger than our conference room!) Also remember that the snom MeetingPoint works as a SIP and OCS endpoint at the same time.

See snom webpage:
http://www.snom.com/en/products/accessories/extension-microphones/

You may have interest in the First Impression Video Review we did last August of the MeetingPoint conference phone below. I'll try to do a 1 Year Later Review--we love the unit.



Kerry Garrison also did a review of the MeetingPoint available here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obgxEHRKEoc&feature=related

snom M9: Worlds First DECT Wireless Office Communication Server Phone--Available in USA Later This Year!

snom has released the snom M9 outside the USA and I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival here! Why?

-It is the worlds FIRST OCS compatible portable phone

-It is also a standard SIP phone that works with your favorite IP PBX

-USB built into the handset for future expansion (and charging?)

-snom touts enough memory for future firmware enhancements

It also has some improvements over the existing snom m3 that I welcome:

-Redesigned keypad that appears more finger friendly

-Backlit keypad is a great improvement

-Improved firmware

Read more details about the snom m9 Click Here:

This unit looks like something I'd like to get in my hand! (no pun)

Also, don't forget that snom has a complete line of very affordable OCS compatible voip phone handsets for the desk also.

One thing about snom's entire line of OCS phones is that they use the g711 codec and not the OCS native Rtaudio codec. I'm not sure if snom 8xx series phones have the processor power to run rtaudio but I hope that snom is investigating moving in this direction.

Microsoft Shows Off ERP + UC: Wow

Microsoft blog post shows off how Dynamics GP can integrate to Microsoft Office Communication Server to make to powerful possibilities. Being both a GP and OCS (aka MS Communications Server) fan this is of a great deal of interest to me--but shows how more ubiquitous communication solutions will do to business applications moving forward.

Microsoft Blog Post:
http://blogs.msdn.com/gp/archive/2010/03/30/feature-of-the-day-unified-communications.aspx

My blog post on the same subject:
http://dynamicssmallbusiness.blogspot.com/2010/01/microsoft-dynamics-erp-gets-in-depth.html

Polycom CX300 (aka Plantronics Calisto P540) Enterprise Voice Video Review

A little while ago I did a video review on the Polycom CX300. At that time I didn't have Enterprise Voice server to test the EV features on this phone. Thanks to http://www.gopronetworks.com/ I have an Enterprise Voice server to test these features.

What Does Unified Communications Need to All Unify?

At one time if we sent a voicemail as an email attachment that got a UC rating. But that thinking is very outdated. UC is unifying what we use to communicate. Today that includes Email, mobile phones, SMS, Desk phones and also—social networks. A UC solution that ignores social networks is ignoring a huge part of communications in a modern business.

In today’s featured demo Terry Gold from Gold Systems goes over a soluton that let’s OCS connect seamlessly to Twitter. Check it out.

Office Communication Server "Talking Phone" Demo

One of the powerful things about OCS is the developer community doing things on top of OCS. In this demo Microsoft Research has done 3 levels of very incredible features!

#1-They transcribe every word of an OCS Voice conversation. In other words: as your speaking, in the IM window your call is being transcribed. Wow. Now, because Office Communicator archives IM conversations to Outlook, you have a searchable copy of the conversation!

#2- Next it will translate live too. So the person on one side of the OCS voice conversation is talking German and the IM client transcribes AND translates live into English.

#3-Then lastly is also will speak the translation. So a guy is talking German into his Office Communicator and out the other side is coming English. Just a pretty impressive demo.

This underscores the value surrounding OCS & Office Communicator that can not be over looked. The value of OCS is bigger than the features found there today because of the robust developer API's, support and community around it. Checkout some other OCS addons by clicking here.

Watch it here:
http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/LauraFoy/TechFest-2010-Translating-Telephone/

OCS/Office Communicator Addons:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/search/label/OCS_Addon

Free Tool That Integrates Office Communicator/OCS and Any SIP Based IP PBX Gets English Webpage & Update

Jan over at Project Scupa let me know that there is now an English webpage for the SCUPA Project and there soon will be a Business Edition of the product released.

This product is made possible by the rich API's available from Microsoft for the Microsoft Office Communicator. These developement tools make integrating OC functionality and presence into applications quite easy.

My opinion is that this continued integration of phones and software will continue to surface traditionally hard-to-find features of communcation systems.

The new English website available by clicking here.