polycom EXPANDS IP dect PORTFOLIO WITH SOLUTIONS FOR BUSINESSES OF ANY SIZE – from the SOHO to Enterprise

Polycom’s expanded DECT portfolio includes highly scalable wireless servers and a sleek, new Bluetooth-enabled handset

AstriCon, GLENDALE, Ariz. and PLEASANTON, Calif., Sept. 22, 2008 – Polycom, Inc. [Nasdaq: PLCM], the global leader in telepresence, video and voice communications solutions, today announced the launch of its latest KIRK Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) solutions. Polycom is the leading independent provider of open, standards-based IP phones, and is furthering its position in the DECT marketplace by expanding its award-winning KIRK product portfolio to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. Polycom has introduced three new products: the KIRK® Wireless Server (KWS) 300, the KWS 6000, and the KIRK 5040 handset. Polycom’s SIP-based DECT solutions help our customers drive the speed of business by making them always accessible regardless of where they are within the workplace.

“We knew we needed a wireless communications solution at O’Brien, and after evaluating several other options, we realized that Polycom DECT system was the only solution to satisfy all of our requirements. The KIRK wireless system we implemented allows us to always be in touch, no matter where we are on our campus of over 40 acres,” said Dave Stear, IT director of O’Brien Automotive Team. “The value of accessibility is priceless – it means our sales people, management and other key personnel are always available to each other, and most importantly, to our customers. In addition, the KIRK system was the only solution to offer seamless integration with our phone system and a reliable voice signal, and the battery life of the handsets has been surprisingly long.”

“Recent Frost & Sullivan research indicates the DECT market in North America, APAC and CALA is likely to experience considerable growth over the next few years, and with its comprehensive DECT portfolio, Polycom is well positioned to take advantage of this untapped opportunity,” said Elka Popova, global program director, Frost & Sullivan. “For those wanting to keep voice and data on separate networks, DECT offers a secure alternative with guaranteed voice quality. Polycom’s extensive experience in providing both VoWLAN and DECT solutions and its successful track record will likely be a competitive advantage as the company moves to grow its share in this growing market.”

KIRK Wireless Servers

Polycom now offers SIP-based DECT solutions that address the needs businesses large and small – from the SOHO market (KWS 300) to medium-sized businesses (KWS 600v3), and for the largest of enterprises as well (KWS 6000). All KIRK solutions are scalable – both in terms of the number of users as well as the coverage areas supported. The latest additions to the KIRK Wireless Server portfolio include:

• The KIRK Wireless Server 300, a SIP-based wireless telephony system, is ideal for smaller sized businesses, by scaling support from one to 12 handsets The KIRK Wireless Server 300 is a single-cell solution that can support up to four simultaneously calls and up to six KIRK repeaters in order to extend the coverage area. Each KIRK repeater increases the coverage area by approximately 50 percent.

• The KWS 6000 is a SIP-based enterprise wireless telephony solution that scales from just a handful up to more than 4,000 users. Up to 256 radio units are supported, which when combined with the KIRK Media Resource, can support more than 1,000 simultaneous calls. Each KIRK base station handles 12 simultaneous calls, and customers can scale up based on their individual needs. Additionally, KIRK repeaters can be added to increase the coverage area by approximately 50 percent.

KIRK Wireless Telephones

Polycom offers a broad portfolio of KIRK wireless telephones ranging from a sleek, lightweight model geared to the general office to highly durable and intrinsically safe handsets.

The KIRK 5040 handset, the newest addition to the KIRK product line, is a lightweight DECT phone that combines award-winning design with intuitive user interface and wireless headset that can be operated hands-free and wirelessly with a Bluetooth headset. Like the KIRK 5020, the 5040 can quickly be switched to silent mode and will distinguish between external and internal calls by ring tone. The KIRK 5040 handset also features an intuitive user interface and a large color-display offering an experience similar to a mobile phone and with the added benefit of hands-free operation.

“We listen to our customers and then design wireless telephone solutions that meet their needs,” said Sten Dyrmose, general manager for Polycom’s DECT business unit. “The addition of the KWS 3000 and KWS 6000 allows us to offer enterprise-grade wireless to businesses across the globe, regardless of size. With the introduction of the KIRK 5040, our customers have the option of using a lightweight, stylish handset with an extended battery life, which allows them to move freely about the office while staying in touch whether they prefer to use the telephone itself or communicate using a headset.”

Pricing & Availability

The new KIRK solutions are available worldwide through Polycom’s certified reseller partners. The list price for the KWS 300 is U.S. $360. The KWS 6000 list price is U.S. $1,200 and includes a server and one base station, which supports up to 30 users. With the scalable nature of the KWS6000 it can easily be set up for more users. The KIRK 5040 handset sells at a list price of U.S. $310. To learn more about Polycom’s KIRK solutions, go to www.polycom.com/kirk.

About Polycom

Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM) is the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions and a visionary in communications that empower people to connect and collaborate everywhere. Please visit www.polycom.com for more information.

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Polycom reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time. Products and/or related specifications referenced in this press release are not guaranteed, and will be delivered on a when and if available basis.

Polycom, the Polycom logo, and KIRK are registered trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2008, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.

What this phone is
The SNOM M3 is a wireless phone that uses the DECT protocol versus being a WiFi phone. There are tons of advantages of DECT technology including call quality, battery life, and range. DECT also allows for multiple handsets to register to the same base station and the M3 takes full advantage of this by allowing each handset to either share an extension or act as independent extensions, or any combination. In some cases you may want a single extension to ring on multiple devices or multiple users can all have their own extension with up to eight handsets being able to register to each base station.

Features
The M3 has a nice LCD display that isn’t too difficult to read and has volume controls, speakerphone toggle, and a headset jack on the side. Each handset comes with it’s own charger so you can conveniently place the chargers near where you are going to use the phones.

• Display: 128 x 128 pixels, 65536 colors, backlit
• Li-Ion battery pack for 20 hours of calls or 100 hours standby
• Range: 50 meters indoors, 100 meters outdoors
• 12 numerical keys, 5 navigation keys, 2 function keys
• Speakerphone on mobile handset
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Automatic registration of handset
• Separate charging cradle for handset
• 8 handsets per base station
• 8 SIP registrations with different servers/registrars
• Up to 3 concurrent calls per base station
• Three-way conference
• Remote setup, password protection
• Open DECT GAP standard

Setup
The setup of the M3 is fairly simple as there isn’t anything to connect besides ethernet and power. Once connected, press the volume up control on the handset and the unit will give you the IP address of the base station. Browse to the IP of the base station and setting up the base to connect to an IP PBX is the same as any other SIP device. I tested the unit with both trixbox CE with the updated Endpoint Manager that is designed to work with the M3 and I manually configured it to work on trixbox Pro where I have been using it as a daily phone for some time now. The only thing that is really different about the M3 is that it can support up to eight SIP registrations (extensions), then for each handset so can specifiy which extension rings which handset and what extension information to use for outbound calls on each handset.

Usage
There is nothing really different about the M3 than any other wireless phone on the market in terms of how it works, its a phone after all, its makes and receives phone calls and does it well but is it any better than other wireless phones? The two most common types of cordless phones in use are analog cordless phones attached to an ATA or a WiFi phone connecting to your wireless router. Since that is the market segment the M3 is up against, let’s use that as the comparision.

Range
I have a decent 2.4ghz cordless phone, with this phone I can walk out the front door and get right to the sidewalk in front before starting to lose signal. A Wifi phone will get me about another 30 feet or so before it starts dropping. The WDECT handset that comes with the Aastra 480i CT will let me walk down the street about one house in each direction. The M3 with the full DECT implementation will get me about 3 houses in each direction. As far as range goes, the M3 is a clear winner.

Battery Life
WiFi is absolutely horrid for cordless phones as there is no real standby mode so the radio is at full power 100% of the time. The different WiFi phones I have tried basically have to sit in a charger so that they are always ready to use. The M3 handset goes without a charge for 4 – 7 days depending on usage. Again, the M3 is a clear winner.

Where does it fail?
The M3 is not perfect and could certainly be improved and some improvements have already occured since I got my original unit. While I am happy with the call quality and the speakerphone, the overall build quality feels a bit cheap. The original units had a fake antenna which I found to be a bit cheesy, this has since been removed. If there is one feature I think is really a shame that the M3 doesn’t have, its power over ethernet. With PoE support it would be easier to throw the base station up into the hanging ceiling in an office to provide optimum coverage without having to run power. A nice, but not necessary feature would be an ethernet passthrough port. The second port I can live without but the M3 really should support PoE.

Results
For around $240 you get the base station and one handset and additional handsets run about $110 each so after you put two or more handsets onto the system the price is less than most other SIP phones. The call quality is good, the speakerphone works well, the range is terrific and the battery life is awesome. Sure it could use some refinements but overall its a really solid device with a good set of features. The final testement to what I think of a phone is where it ends up after the review period is done. There is a shelf in the garage loaded with every phone on the market that I could choose to use in my office or home. While the M3 is not my primary desk phone it is on the network as a permenant extension so that I have wireless ability and it is part of my FindMe so that I can work anywhere in the house. The M3 may have some faults but the overall result is that the pros outweigh the cons and are enough that I would highly recommend this phone to anyone looking for a wireless sip phone solution.

SNOM
http://www.snom.com