Polycom Delivers Business Quality Voice Conferencing Through Skype

Oct 18, 2006 8:44 PM

Polycom announced that the Polycom VoiceStation 500 conference phone is Skype certified. The integration of Skype and the VoiceStation 500 enables customers to easily host business-quality conference calls using the Skype services. The VoiceStation 500 features Bluetooth wireless and an applications port that enables it to seamlessly work with Skype running on a PC.

Featuring a compact, stylish design, the affordable VoiceStation 500 delivers Polycom’s award-winning Acoustic Clarity Technology for full duplex, natural group conferencing that minimizes background echoes, word clipping, and distortion to provide a high-quality voice conferencing experience. The VoiceStation 500 uses AC power and can connect to a standard POTS phone line, but it also features embedded Bluetooth wireless support and an applications port for connecting to a computer running Skype. These connectivity options can also be used to connect the VoiceStation 500 to other devices such as a mobile phone and other handheld devices. The VoiceStation 500 complements the previously announced Polycom Communicator, a portable, personal USB speakerphone device that delivers business-quality, high-fidelity wideband voice communications for Skype calls.

In addition to the Skype certified VoiceStation 500 and Polycom Communicator, Polycom offers a Computer Calling Kit option for its SoundStation2 and SoundStation2W conference phones, enabling those products to work with Skype.

Pricing and Availability

The Polycom VoiceStation 500 is now available in the U.S. through Polycom certified channel partners for an MSRP of $399. The Polycom Communicator is currently available for an MSRP of $129. The Computer Calling Kit for SoundStation2 and SoundStation2W conference phones is currently available for an MSRP of $39.