One of the things I enjoy about my job is getting to go hands-on with new technology. I recently got a Polycom VVX500 touch screen IP Phone on my desk and have had a few weeks to try it out. Here are my first impressions.
(Note: I am using the VVX500 on a hosted VoIP service (AccessLine). The service provider has provisioned the phone specifically for their service. As such, I do not have access to some of the advertised features of the unit.)
Touch Screen Interface
The most noticeable feature of the VVX500 is the touch screen. Touch screens are not yet common on business class telephone sets, so that is a bit of a novelty. The screen is very nice looking, providing call information, directory access and system status information.
Polycom touts their touch screen interface as “intuitive” and say it “improves productivity.” I’m not so sure. The user interface for the touch screen seem unpolished to me. For example, in some screens, to go back you swipe, in some there is a ‘Back’ button and in some you just have to hit the ‘Home’ button on the side of the phone.
Hey, Who Swiped My Phone?!?
As someone who uses touch screens on my phone and tablet, it seems to me they do not make use of gestures like swipe enough. For example, in the configuration menus, a left or right swipe should take you to next or previous screen. I hate having to touch a ‘Back’ button when a swipe would do, without eating up precious screen real estate. And the fact I have to press ‘Back’, then select the next topic is just not user friendly. It seems like they took the old SoundPoint IP menu/button-based system and adapted it to the touch screen. Hopefully the next software version will start from scratch and make better use of the touch interface.
HD Voice
After all the fancy user interface stuff, this is still a phone. And we use the phone to talk on. So, let’s talk about the voice quality. The VVX500 features Polycom’s patented HD Voice technology which we have gotten used to since the SoundPoint IP product line. In a word, HD Voice is awesome. I don’t know what magic Polycom is doing with their “advanced signal processing”, but voice has never sounded so good. Life-like voice comes across crisp and clear without sounding dry or digital, whether on the handset, speakerphone or headset. Selectivity of their handset microphone is excellent, so you get almost no background noise.
Hardware Specs
The phone features a 3-port 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet switch (1 internal port, 2 external). It also sports 2 full-sized USB connectors, which will allow connection to a USB headset, a videoconferencing module or a (future) wireless module. The VVX supports direct USB connection for headsets like the excellent Jabra Pro 9400 wireless series.
The phone is a bit of a power hog, requiring a max of 11 W. That makes it a Class 3 Powered Device under the 802.3af specification. You will want to make sure your PoE switches are up to powering an office full of these guys! There is a power-saving mode on the phone, but for some reason it is turned off by default.
A Codec Moment
The phone supports a wide variety of codecs, allowing deployment in almost any environment:
Supported Audio Codecs (Priority)
- G.711u-law (6)
- G.711a-law (7)
- G.722 (4)
- G.722.1 (32kbps) (5)
- G.722.1C (48kbps) (2)
- G.729AB (8)
(2 is lowest priority, 8 highest.)
Note, however that the VVX500 does not support H.323 (other VVX models do).
Web Applications
The phone’s extensive options can be configured from the keypad or from a web browser interface. The phone also runs applications, such as a webkit browser, and interfaces with Microsoft Outlook for contacts and calendar. Unfortunately, all of these features are disabled on the AccessLine version of the phone, so I will not review them here.
Overall Impressions
I think it’s a good first effort at a touch screen desk phone. I am certain, given Polycom’s successful track record, that future generations of this line will address the concerns I have mentioned here. The phone is quite nice looking and has a good feel to it. It is solid and substantial without being heavy. The HD Voice is a huge plus, making the basic use of the device a joy. I look forward to future software releases and will update this post as they become available.
Do you think we need touch screen desk phones? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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