Polycom's New Conference Phones: 'Shattering The IP Barrier'

Polycom unveiled a pair of next-generation IP conference phones combining both SIP and Polycom's HD Voice technology. The endpoints, Polycom's Brian Phillips said, are sleek additions to Polycom's lineup and are sure to spice up any IP deployment in the board room, or any conference room. Phillips added the new SoundStation phones hit price points similar to their non-IP counterparts, enabling more companies to deploy IP devices in their conference rooms.

The SoundStation IP 7000 (shown here) features HD Voice with up to 22 KHz of CD-quality audio for improved clarity and intelligibility. It also includes a large display with an XHTML micro-browser for IP applications, essentially turning the conference phone into an application platform for the room. It offers corporate directory access and three-way visual conferencing applications that let users see, add and delete participants, while also enabling users to put participant son hold or mute them.

The IP 7000 also features multi-unit connectivity with the ability to daisy-chain two units together to achieve greater microphone pickup, louder volume and multiple call control points in one room. It features 20 feet of microphone pickup, and greater coverage is available with optional expansion microphones (pictured).

The SoundStation IP 7000 lists for $1,299.

The SoundStation IP 6000, designed for small to midsize conference rooms, features HD Voice with up to 14 KHz of audio for improved sound quality. And a high quality backlit display for vital call information and multi-language support.

The IP 6000 has 12 feet of microphone pickup range and greater coverage is available with optional extension microphones (pictured).

Both the IP 7000 and 6000 include echo cancellation and noise suppression. They feature shielding to prevent that obnoxious "BlackBerry buzz" that can occur when someone's smartphone or PDA is too close to the unit.

Both endpoints also incorporate Power over Ethernet and will seamlessly integrate with Polycom's HDX high definition visual communications system when it is released later this year.