Transcript
EM_Dec_Jan_p10_ED.qxd
30/11/03
9:37 am
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Product Reviews
Wideband conferencing at the flash of a light The most striking feature of the Polycom SoundStation VTX1000 is its futuristic console. Designed in the shape of a three-armed starfish, it arches gracefully across the conference table and tiny lights dotted about its body glow red or green depending on the status of the conference call. Reinforcing its glowing image are extended microphones which pick up sound from speakers sitting up to 20 meters away and also proudly bear more of the colourful LEDs. Attached to one side of the console is the keypad with soft touch buttons and a backlit graphical LCD display, which is remarkably easy to navigate without even a glance in the accompanying instruction booklet. There is a phonebook, a choice of ringtones, conference settings and last, but definitely not least, the controls for the subwoofer, which, according to the instructions, is properly set up when you don’t hear sound coming from it because ‘users should perceive [the sound] coming from the console speaker’. The SoundStation also claims to remove annoying background noises and automatically switch off microphones that are not being spoken to, but perhaps the most revolutionary feature is its ability to provide the full spectrum of wideband sound and low frequency output that optimises speech intelligibility and distinguishability. It really does work, allowing the tones and inflexions of a voice to be carried over long distances with almost perfect clarity. Available from: Polycom, tel: 0800 00 33 44 55, www.polycom.com Price: £1200
Trendy danish designer phone The latest Jacob Jensen release is a T5 phone, moulded using his trademark concepts of ‘flat’ and ‘simple’ and his brand colours of silver and black. The resulting highly designed and trendy object injects a flash of design into an everyday essential, but usually boring, item of desk furniture. Visually, the new T5 is no different in overall design to any of his previous range, rather the difference lies in its use. Fashioned for business, the phone is suitable for connection to the public network and works with most PABX switching systems and can either stand on a desk or be mounted on the wall. It is equipped, amongst other functions with a caller ID function for up to 80 numbers for the busy manager. Available from: Absolute Form Ltd, tel: 0208 7313730, www.absolutform.co.uk Price: £76, discount for volume orders. More information: www.jacob-jensen.com
Make your boardroom table talk
for Business A MIX OF GADGETS AND SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESS USE TESTED AND REVIEWED IN-HOUSE 10
The Omnivox is a unit the size of a hockey puck, with the ambition of an amplifier. Connect it up to a PC, MP3 or overhead projector and attach it to something large, solid and flat (e.g. the nearest table) and it turns its supporting furniture into a speaker. Laptop speakers are notorious for their ‘tinny’ sound but the Omnivox is clear and loud enough for everyone in a typical room to hear, making it ideal for a boardroom meeting or a department presentation. It’s simple to assemble – all it needs is plugging in to a computer and a power outlet, and it’s small enough to keep in a laptop case, unlike most bulky speakers. Made out of a ‘smart material’ which is capable of contracting and expanding in a highly controlled and reliable manner, the Omnivox works by vibrating the surface on which it’s placed to generate the sound. It can reproduce a range of audio frequencies from 200Hz and 16kHz at a volume of 80 decibels and produces diffuse rather than directional sound. It also comes in a neat little briefcase with multi-changeable plugs for the worldwide traveller. And, as for novelty value, you can’t get any better than a speaker the size of your boardroom table. Price: £195 incl P&P, discounts available to readers. Available from: Omnivox Systems, www.omnivox.biz.
IEE ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2003/04 | WWW.IEE.ORG/MANAGEMENTMAGAZINE
